Bleeding Guitar Blues
by Xeno Gotenks
Summary: Seireitei became engulfed in flames, drowning out all sound as demons laugh at the distorted screams. Outnumbered, wounded warriors combat the white devils, born from the flickering shadows. Can a captain haunted by depression succeed, or fall just like all his men before him?
1. Rhapsody Sung in Silence

**Chapter 1 – Rhapsody Sung in Silence**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _Sin comes in colors_

 _The lighter the clouds become_

 _The darker it rains_

* * *

 _Silbern - Gate of the Sun_

"At last, our time for reckoning is upon us."

"Always ready to burn things down, aren't you Bazz-B?"

"Your damn right. After a whole millennium, it time for us to reclaim the light and finish things."

"Heh, how amusing."

"You think this is funny Najahkoop?"

"Not at all. In fact, I like your optimism. I just hope the All-Father blesses us for the war to come. Blood shall be spilled."

"Having second thoughts coward?"

"No. I already know what to do. There is a man that interests me, and I plan to take him out myself."

"And who is this unlucky fellow?"

"A man of great power and melancholic qualities. According to his file, he will be easy pickings."

"Sounds just like you. Attacking the weak or handicap like a monster that stalks on disabled children."

"Bazz-B, I have a proposition for you?"

"And what is it?"

"I want you to land at this location. It will make my job much more easier."

* * *

 _Soul Society – Third Division Barracks_

Rojuro "Rose" Otoribashi was alone in his office, staring aimlessly at the white walls. There were no decorations, trophies, or posters, only the divisions symbol and insignia, the marigold. It was fitting for the captain that the marigold represents despair, a feeling he has been secretly harboring in the pit of his gut. A premonition of sorts for the things to come.

For almost two years now he has been the captain of his old division. It was insane to think about. So much time has flew by, often making Rose reflect his century old banishment as nothing more than a dream. Originally, he served for about twelve years until that fateful day happened. The day Aizen betrayed them all and made him his science experiment. He lost so much yet learned to move on despite the heartaches it brought.

Rose shifted in his seat.

It was eerily quiet for the captain, the calm before the storm in a sense. It was so quiet that it was loud, making his ears ring in anticipation for sound. Normally the entire division is busy and noisy, not some sad scene in a horror movie. Most of his men were out and about in Seireitei, preparing for the war efforts Head-Captain Yamamoto ordered. Everyone was on high alert; an atmosphere Rose utterly detests.

According to the emergency captains meeting this morning, this "Wandenreich" will defeat Soul Society in five days. Not even Aizen can proclaim something so ludicrous such as that. The Seireitei has been around forever, withstanding countless invasions over the years. If memory served him correctly, at least for several thousand years, with Soul Society itself being millions of years older. Yet the enemy believes it could do so, grown bold with their earlier invasion today.

It pained Rose when he attended Lieutenant Sasakibe's funeral and cremation service. He was ambushed and killed in minutes, denied in having a fair fight. And after hearing his eulogy, he surely was a powerful and well-reserved shinigami. Him knowing bankai was a shock, but apparently the enemy can make it asunder using some unknown technique. Best to be cautious in any future battles.

But what puzzled Rose was the fact Captain Kurotsuchi said they were all quincy. By all rights they should be extinct, so how come they are here apparently? It makes no sense.

Izuru Kira, his lieutenant, informed him that he inquired with Captain Yamamoto shortly after the captains meeting. He believes that the Wandenreich and hollow disappearances are connected, but not the thousands of disappearing rukongai residents. He suspects foul play from Captain Kurotsuchi but has little evidence to back it up. And sadly, Rose believes every single word his lieutenant says. Kurotsuchi is a shrewd man who will do anything it takes to justify his viewpoint.

Placing his hands behind his head, Rose began to slowly rock in his seat while gazing at the ceiling. The low fan cooled off his forehead, allowing his damp hair bangs to claim it. Patting them away. Rose saw his classic Gibson Flying V guitar laying against the wall. It pains the visored to admit that for the last two weeks, the passion to stroke the strings have seemingly vanished. Like his guitar refuses to accept his love or hold it anymore.

Prying his eyes away, Rose was thankful that Head-Captain Yamamoto was safe from the earlier invasion. Unlike a few members of the visoreds, Rose never held any negative feelings about him. And despite being older than dirt with one arm, he can kick some major ass if it comes down to it. But against enemies whose abilities are unknown, he could have been placed in grave danger without being prepared for it. Nonetheless hundreds of men, including the lieutenant was killed this morning. A major loss regardless who died.

Rose looked back at his guitar, appearing more fragile than a minute ago. Like it now begging to be picked up and played to release the cries of the fallen. Feeling animated by sudden passion, Rose got up and picked up his favorite instrument. The cool feel to his palms felt right, helplessly caressing the black exterior that dared to be touched.

Going back to his seat, Rose stroke a few strings, loving the iconic melody he grew accustomed to his Flying V. And like magic music became alive, flooding the office with sounds of his choosing. The moment reminded him when he first performed in front of his fellow visoreds, loving the attention and recognition for his skills. More than ever he wished his partner, Love Aikawa, was here with him. Upon becoming captain, he rarely if never hears back from his century's old teammates. The disconnection placed an unnecessary heavy burden in his heart. If it wasn't for Shinji, Kensei, Mashiro, and his third division being here, he would have folded from the depression. A pitiful reality to accept for a captain-class warrior.

Mind consumed in negativity, Rose's fingers froze up. Air growing stale with sudden silent numbness, Rose unceremoniously placed the guitar next to the wall. Standing up, Rose walked to the window and gazed outside. It was sunny and bright, a direct contrast to what he was feeling inside.

Birds were flying above with the leaves from persimmon trees swaying in the wind. It appeared almost peaceful, like no war efforts were in motion.

 _ **Boom!**_

Right before Rose's eyes, supreme pillars of blue fire erupted. The intensity alone eradicated all available clouds, burning the sky in a dazzling light. Catching his footing, Rose was alarmed to see so many sprouting from the ground. The tremors they caused were unreal, daring to level all buildings in place.

But what alarmed Rose the most was the level of reiatsu felt. It felt like dozens of captain-class forces were springing to life, each being stronger than the last. At least sixteen could be sensed, with more likely to appear.

Having a gut feeling that it was the Wandenreich making do with their promise, Rose picked up his haori and zanpakuto. Fastening them to his being, he left through a side door to his office.

It was time to defend the Seireitei.

* * *

Rose couldn't believe his own eyes. Already dozens of explosions were occurring throughout the Seireitei, sensing the deaths of hundreds of Shinigami. It was mind boggling, almost too depressing for the captain to bear.

Halfway to the base of a recent explosion, Rose stopped dead in his tracks.

His hands were shaking, dumbstruck by what he just sensed.

He sensed a platoon consisting of his finest men eradicated from the face of the planet. Seats three, five, and six were killed instantly, handpicked by him for their skills. In fact, all three were close to lieutenant potential, so feeling them being wiped out came as an utter shock.

But what surprised him the most was the disappearance of his beloved lieutenant. He fell instantly and the first among said platoon.

"Izuru Kira. No, it can't be."

Knees daring to buckle, Rose's eyes widened upon hearing an incredible explosion nearby. It was near the blue pillar he first saw, which was where his second strongest platoon was stationed at. It consisted of all seats between seventh and sixteenth, all lead by the fourth seat, Saitama Nobunaga. And dozens of lower-level men were there as well, burdened with the duty to help protect the east side of Seireitei.

Using his fastest shunpo, Rose sprinted whole miles in minutes. And to his dismay, all his stationed soldiers were disappearing left and right. A single foreign reiatsu was all he felt yet was just as strong as he was.

They stood absolutely no chance against it.

Jumping over a high-rise building, Rose was dumbfounded at what he saw below. While falling to the battlefield, the sun allowed perfect visibility to all his slain men. Bodies were littered everywhere, few intact to all their limbs.

Landing on a relative safe patch of concrete, Rose was mortified by the senseless level of carnage.

"Captain…is that you?"

Seeing a body moving, Rose was shocked to see somebody still alive.

"Stay put soldier. I am coming."

Moving bodies off him, Rose recognized the man instantly.

"Seventh Seat Shinoda Mizuki, is it really you?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, who did this you?"

"I…couldn't tell. He was too fast…and strong. Rolled us over…like we were trash. Fourth Seat Nobunaga tried his best….but still failed."

Mizuki began to cough up blood, hacking up a storm. It was clear to Rose that he was slowly suffocating from internal bleeding. He wouldn't make it.

"What does he look like, or what are his powers? And where did you last see him?"

Not hearing a response, Rose blinked with realization that his own man died within his arms. Gripping onto his shoulder tightly, Rose with great care set him back down before closing his eyelids.

Not even bothering to wipe his fallen subordinates blood off from him, Rose stood up with great purpose. Here he was, surrounded by his entire division's bulk of manpower lying dead at his feet. No words, actions, or wishes was going to bring them back. Doomed to go through the cycle of transmigration and become reborn as a new entity from the flames of Samadhi. No wretched fate could be worse than to forget everything that once composed of you.

Unable to mourn at the death of so many comrades, Rose unceremoniously took out his zanpakuto, needing to hold something sharp and dangerous. His bloodlust was growing along with his inner tears.

An earpiece delivered to him earlier by the S.R.D.I. buzzed to life. Rose instinctively knew that no good news was going to be communicated through.

" _In the 3_ _rd_ _district, Nagareo, North 3032, 27 soldiers have died. The reiatsu of 3_ _rd_ _seat Togakushi, 5_ _th_ _seat Gori, and 6_ _th_ _seat Katakura have vanished. In addition, lieutenant Izuru Kira has also disappeared_."

A chilling breeze passed over Rose, confirming what he knew all along. He wished more than ever that the technology deployed by the 12th division was inaccurate, along with his senses.

From the corner of his eye, Rose saw a humanoid shadow staring at him. Turning his head slightly, Rose found what he was looking for. There was no mistake about that.

"Looks like you just heard some bad news."

Staring at the newcomer, the individual was a dark-skin man wearing white clothing. Bizarrely he had black and white teeth and an odd hairstyle similar to Love Aikawa. A reflective reddish-orange mask covered his upper face, hiding his eyes.

Without a doubt the man was a quincy. The one responsible for this massacre.

"I see now."

The quincy folded his hands into his pocket, observing the captain.

"Did someone die" asked the quincy, tone laced with mock politeness.

"There's no need to answer."

"Ahh, but there is reason for it. I can already tell which division you belong to, and a bunch of reiatsu disappeared likely belonging to yours captain. And from the look of things Bazz-B did it. Though if the guys are not dead means that Bazz-B failed us."

The quincy made a toothy grin, sickening Rose to his core.

"Are you trying to find fault in your comrade's ways? That is not art."

The quincy lifted his right knee, feigning at stretching to display apathy.

Rose lifted his zanpakuto, staring at the swords reflective surface. His heart briefly convinced him he saw Izuru instead of himself.

"Watching over Izuru always provides me with the most remarkable of inspiration. Just by being in his presence, I find the melodies well up like tears unbidden."

"Sounds gay."

"If Izuru is truly deceased, my Flying V will mourn to the far reaches of space." Rose's hair bangs rolled down his face, hiding the killer lust growing in his eyes.

"Sorry man. I do not understand any of this art stuff."

An eerie breeze rushed through the terrain.

"But don't fret. Both you and your Flying something won't even find the time to shed any tears. In five minutes, you're going to die." The quincy waved a hand in front of him, showing five fingers to represent his statement.

"That's really not art. There isn't one guitar in existence that wouldn't cry at the sight of so many deaths."

Rose positioned his zanpakuto in a threatening manner, electing a wicked grin from the quincy. His heart was pumping from the adrenaline, loving the killing intent from the captain.

"My guitar and I are already crying. Do not expect to go home alive quincy."

"Come and take my life, shinigami."

With that Rose rushed forward, zanpakuto aiming at the quincy's face. Getting into position, the quincy was ecstatic, prepared to take his biggest kill yet.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Hello everyone, this will be a short series that details a battle I always wanted to see animated/drawn. Plus this will give Rose his well-deserved spotlight, a visored level captain I feel is constantly shorthanded. So please sit back, put your feet up, play your favorite OST, and enjoy the show that is about to begin.

And just like some of my other works on this site, a accompanying haiku shall be written to hint at the chapter's theme. I find this therapeutic and cathartic for me.


	2. Silent Echo predates Nothingness

**Chapter 2 - Silent Echo predates Nothingness**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _Deadly sonata_

 _Ears ringing from the chorus_

 _Composing silence_

* * *

"These fools are weaker than I thought. No substance at all. What a joke." Jabbed Bazz-B, staring at the mass of corpses before him. He fell the entire platoon in mere minutes, finding no worthy challenges from the men.

 _ **Blast!**_

Sidestepping to the right lazily, Bazz-B dodged a sokatsui kido blast. It exploded upon impacting against a building.

"So, still alive hmm?"

Turning around slowly, Bazz-B saw the crippled third seat Riku Togakushi standing back up.

"You...won't...get...away...with...this...!"

"Pff, with wounds like that? Please, your hanging on by a thread and you know it."

Fully turned around, Bazz-B loved the fact nearly his entire chest was basically missing. And only brute force accomplished that.

"You killed...everyone. I won't forgive...YOU!"

Spinning his released zanpakuto, Shunjin, the countless particles of dust and dirt began to collect around Bazz-B. Slamming the scythe against the ground, the dust turned powdery white, becoming a miniature blizzard around the quincy. Bazz-B looked disinterested, keeping his hands folded in his pockets.

"Lets see if you will survive this...YOU BASTARD!"

Scythe glowing blue, Riku raised it at the blazing tundra before him.

" **Frozen Sun Soot**!"

Slashing at the frozen dust cloud, the tornado coiled upwards before imploding inwards. A massive ice mountain laid in its wake, flaking slightly with each passing breeze.

"Lieutenant Kira, Gori, Katakura, and all of the men below me. I have avenged you." Gasped Riku, following onto both knee and heavily supporting himself with Shunjin.

"Is that all?"

Mind blown away upon hearing the impossible, Riku was shocked to see his entire structure burning to the ground. Bazz-B stood in the middle, smirking without a care in the world.

"It cannot be. There no way you could survive that?"

"Well believe it now kid. That move simply does not work against me."

Nonchalantly Bazz-B took out a hand and pointed at Riku.

" **Burner Finger 1**."

At unholy speeds a beam of concentrated fire shot out and penetrated through Riku's chest. Heart completely destroyed, Riku coughed up blood before slouching over.

He passed away a second later.

"Tch, what a total weakling. The majesty's daten stated he became a third seat this year, yet sucks at combat. What type of military is this weak ass government running?"

Folding his arms, Bazz-B concentrated on the powers around him. It appears that the fight Najahkoop wanted was now getting underway. A battle he wouldn't mind participating in.

"Better hope to his majesty that I don't get there before your finished. I am starving for action."

* * *

Feeling raw passion coursing through his veins, Rose appeared like a bullet soaring through the wind. Seemingly teleporting, Rose was underneath the quincy, both hands gripping the swords hilt. The quincy appeared stunned, taken back by Rose's sheer speed.

Jerking his body upwards, Rose stabbed with all of his might. In this blow, it will be over with.

 _ **Grab!**_

Catching the sword and allowing it to drill through his hand, the quincy's palm touched the swords base as the blade itself stopped mere inches away from his mask.

Shocked as the zanpakuto remained glued to the quincy's grip, the dark-skin man smiled before yanking the blade towards him. Propelled forward, Rose saw the quincy lifting his leg to deliver a kick to his face. Raising his arm just in time, Rose blocked it though the force pushed him back. And to Rose's luck, the quincy released his grip on the zanpakuto, allowing him to keep it.

Skidding on the concrete before catching himself, Rose lowered his bruised arm only to see the quincy upon him. Managing to dodge a flurry of punches, Rose jumped up to avoid a sweeping kick. Landing behind the quincy, Rose tried to pierce the back of his skull, but saw the man become a shimmer of afterimages. Sensing him to his side, Rose blocked a right jab with his zanpakuto, but failed to stop a savage kick to his gut.

Hacking up spittle, the quincy smiled before upper cutting Rose in the chin. Soaring high in the sky, the quincy appeared above him before double hammering Rose back towards the ground. Face hitting first, fresh blood escaped Rose's lip as he skidded a few yards forward.

The quincy folded his arms as he landed back on ground. His iconic smile plastered itself on his face, white cape fluttering from the wind.

"That cannot be it captain? I haven't even gotten started yet and your already on the floor."

The quincy held his breathe as Rose got back up. Minor wounds darted over him but was still ready for war.

"Something like that will never put me down. I've went through far worse to be killed by such low-level blows."

"Show me so."

The quincy rushed at the captain to clobber him. Being mere yards away, he noticed a strange glow through his mask and realized with trepidation all too late.

"Sokatsui."

Generating a blue sphere of fire in an instant, Rose launched the attack from his hand.

 _ **Boom!**_

A gigantic blue stream of energy engulfed the battlefield, towering over everything in the vicinity.

Doing a back flip mid-air, the quincy created a reishi platform to hover over the apex of the blast radius. His clothes were slightly burned, but largely unharmed.

Watching intently through the smokescreen, the quincy saw Rose blasting out at full throttle towards him. Getting into a battle stance, the quincy blocked the sword strike with his wrist. Seeing an opening, the quincy threw a punch with his free hand.

"Bakudo thirty-nine: Enkosen."

Generating a yellow energy shield before him, Rose parried the quincy's punch, eliciting recoil damage to his knuckles. Seeing an opening by design, Rose shattered his own shield and swung his blade at the quincy's defile face. Not deterred in the least, the quincy used high-speed movement to fall back.

Appearing several yards away from the captain, a few strands of hair were captured by the wind. The quincy noticed it as he refocused his posture.

Cursing out loud, the quincy gritted his teeth as Rose generated yellow energy in a single palm. Creating a tri-point object that was connected to a ring, Rose was ready to see his foe fall.

"Bakudo thirty: Shitotsu Sansen."

At his mental command, all three points fired out at impossible speeds. Caught off guard, the quincy was hit and had his arms and chest enslaved to the energized projectiles. Falling to the ground, the quincy slammed against the floor and became trapped in his own makeshift crater. Rose landed at the edge of the crater hole, looking down at the bastard quincy.

"Wasn't expecting that, weren't you?"

"Damn you shinigami. I was not told you could do this."

"I am a captain of an entire division. It is my job to possess powers and proficiency over many arts. Kido just so happens to be my forte."

Rose angled his zanpakuto to point it at the quincy before walking down the crater. Each step sounded unusually loud for the battle sensitive combatants.

"Tell me, are you ready to die quincy for slaughtering all of my men earlier?"

Rose placed the blades tip next to his throat, trying to stare through the mask to see the quincy's eyes.

"Stupid fool, I didn't kill them all. Don't you remember that Bazz-B killed your strongest earlier? I only destroyed the trash that nobody ever pays attention to."

"Wrong answer."

Rose slashed the quincy's neck. But to his bewilderment, only a small graze resulted from a blow that should have decapitated him. The quincy smiled as blue veins danced all over his skin while a faint aura surrounded him.

"Your sword cannot cut me captain."

Now glowing brightly, Rose gasped before flying out of the crater.

 _ **Boom!**_

The quincy engulfed the entire crater with his power, detonating it and everything else in a mile-long radius. Rose saw a huge mushroom cloud forming from the epicenter of the blast radius, baffled that his opponent was stronger than previously thought.

"I am over here fool."

Turning around too late, the quincy stabbed Rose's left shoulder with three fingers. Puncturing through his flesh, Rose by reflex swung his zanpakuto at the quincy, but he dodged at the last second. The quincy did a hand-spring before rebounding and landing on a reishi platform.

"Not bad. If I didn't warn you, I wonder if you would have died from that." Said the quincy, smelling the blood from his fingers before flicking it away.

"Curse you." Rose was supporting his injured shoulder with his other hand, blood slowly collecting over the knuckles and zanpakuto's pummel.

"I must admit the daten never talked about such terrifying kido prowess. This must be a new thing since we started collecting data."

"Daten? The Hell is that? And what do you mean by data collecting?"

A grin passed over the quincy's face as a new breeze licked his ebony skin.

"I'm not telling."

The quincy lifted up his forearm, blocking a sword slash.

"You will reveal your secrets. Hado one: Sho."

Generating a telekinetic concussive force through his blade, Rose pushed the quincy backed.

"Bakudo one: Sai."

"Shit."

Pointing at the flying quincy, his arms retracted behind his back in a fixed position. Slamming against a building's side and about to fall, he was pinned thanks to a quickly fired bakudo sixty-two, hyapporankin.

"Crap."

"That should hold you." Rose walked in mid-air, glaring daggers at his trapped prey.

"..."

"Got nothing to say quincy? Your allegiance to my questions will spare you a quick demise."

"You cannot cut me even if you try. You lack the power to do so."

The quincy smiled, but slowly disappeared upon seeing Rose's own.

"I think I figured you out."

"What?"

"Your skin is just like an arrancar's. Hard to the touch, yet sharp as any sword. But unlike their ability, yours work a bit differently. I've seen those blue tattoos multiple times."

"Your more observant than what you let on."

"No more games quincy. Tell me what I want to know. Last chance."

The binds tightened around the quincy, making his skin crawl. But just a bit longer.

"Najahkoop. NaNaNa Najohkoop is my name. I am the sternritter designated with the letter "U"."

"So that your name? It sounds just as foreign as your organizations title."

"We come from two different worlds. But trust me once we win, we will be the ones to bask in the sun shinigami."

"That will not happen quincy. And for the record, refer to me as Captain Rose."

"Tch, whatever you say _captain_."

"Now, tell me about this data collecting? What do you know about me, Soul Society, and anything else?"

"You want me to betray my kingdom? Not gonna happen."

Faster than what the eye could see, Rose slashed Najahkoop's chest horizontally. A torrent of blood spurted out, surprising the quincy.

"Im...impossible!"

"Not really. After feeling your hardened skin a feel times, all I had to do was adjust my reiatsu around it. Making my blade sharper than steel and slice right on through."

"I cannot stand you."

"Start talking, or I will gouge out your eyes next." Rose pointed the blade directly in front of the mask. Najahkoop began to chuckle, making Rose believe he was going insane.

"Well…..since you are going to die very shortly, I suppose there no harm in spilling the beans now."

Rose swallowed the spit collecting at the back of his throat.

"Enough with the idle threats. Speak!"

Najahkoop looked directly in Rose's eyes, obscured entirely from his opponents point of view. He was loving how unusually serious the captain was according to file.

"You see, his majesty is very thorough in wanting to know the strengths and weaknesses of his enemies. He and many researchers spent countless hours studying everyone of high interest, which includes all you captains. This book has information spanning over a thousand years, and even has info during your original stint as captain."

"What?"

The quincy loved the look of angry surprise crossing the captains face.

"Do you remember fighting against Kensei Muguruma as a hollow? Or getting ambushed by Mashiro? Becoming a hollow yourself? Killing those Menos Grande? Losing to Coyote Starrk? Or nearly dying against Aizen? All of that has been recorded in perfect detail for our consumption."

"How did you manage that? Nobody was there during those times."

Rose was close to grinding his teeth, anxiety gripping his soul. Does this man really know everything about him, including his bankai and hollow powers?

"Simple. We hid in the shadows, carefully observing in silence."

Rose's heart sank as the light reflected off of Najahkoop in an ominous manner.

Najahkoop leaned several inches forward, making Rose to take a few steps back. The anger were palpable on the captain's face.

"So, was I your target since the beginning?"

"Correct." Cackled the quincy, loving how everything is unfolding. It was even better than how he planned it.

Feeling like a dark shadow was cast over him, Rose felt his zanpakuto shaking in his hand. He was targeted since the start, and his division paid the ultimate price just to get to him.

"And among all the captains, I figured that you were the weakest since your battle record says it all. You always lose despite what little great power you may have. Even as a visored, you are still pathetic. Your one of four individuals who can use hollow powers in Soul Society, yet your softness forever plagues you. You are a disgrace captain, and it time for you to retire-"

 _ **Stab!**_

"Ahh! Shit!"

"You have no right to say those words to me."

Stabbing Najahkoop's exposed right palm, he slowly pulled it out to drag out the pain.

"Captain, where is all of this killing intent coming from?"

"You must have me mistaken. You don't get to ask questions. You have no power here."

 _ **Spit!**_

A nasty glob of saliva impacted Rose's cheek. Rose felt more compelled than ever to kill the sickening monster before him.

"Salutations to all of the weak motherfuckers I killed earlier. May they rest in Hell."

"You bastard!"

'Heh, now.'

Before Rose could stab the quincy between his hidden eyes, Najahkoop broke free and disappeared. Destroying the entire building with his thrust, Rose quickly turned around to see Najahkoop digging into his pocket.

Pulling out a majestic quincy cross Najahkoop smothered it with his reiatsu, transforming it into a pair of brass knuckles. Energy spears formed over a sole hand.

"I give my thanks to the All-Father."

"Shakkaho."

Seeing a red fireball launched from Rose, Najahkoop nonchalantly combined the spears to create a single blue sword. He cut it in half, safely sailing past him and exploding.

"Damn."

Rose sprinted after Najahkoop, colliding blades with him. Yet to the captain's astonishment, the quincy had more raw strength than previously and pushed him away. Rose collided against the ground, sheltered from the resulting dust geyser.

"Wasn't expecting this complete one-eighty right shinigami?"

Najahkoop smiled upon seeing Rose rising, clothes slightly torn from his descent.

"Wanna know how I escaped captain? I am sure you are dying to hear this?"

"..."

"Too busy breathing out your mouth hmm? So be it, I'll explain for free."

Najahkoop generated a ring on the sword's guard, spinning it with a single index finger.

"Never forget this till the hour you die. I am a quincy, the highest level of species in existence. Manipulating reishi is second nature to me, and all things in creation is composed of it. Do you really believe kido spells of such level will keep me tied down for long? I was absorbing their power the moment those shackles ensnared me. Ultimately you only made me stronger."

"..."

"Don't have any witty comments to add? No backtalk about anything I said?"

"..."

"That face. I am going to peel it away a bloody inch at a time."

"You talk too much."

"Hehe, you have great humor. Let see you yap with that mouth once I cut it off."

Najahkoop flew after Rose, making the captain to adopt a sword stance. Dodging a few swings, Rose tried to retaliate, but had his sword knocked away from a single hand swipe. Open, he took a brutal jab to the gut, making the captain cough up blood. Receiving ten additional punches to the stomach, Najahkoop enjoyed the sound of breaking skin before uppercutting the captain away.

Catching himself mid-air, Rose coughed up blood and immediately favored his caved stomach. He was in bad shape.

Looking up, Rose haphazardly dodged a clean jab to the face. Cursing, Najahkoop sailed past and destroyed another building before coming back. Dodging the second round, Rose fired dozens of byakurai blasts at the quincy. But to his growing dismay he missed every shot, forcing him to evade a third strike.

"Let see if you dodge this. Hado 63: Raikoho-"

"Too slow."

Rebounding off a building with his feet, Najahkoop brought his fingers forward and released countless heilig pfeil at the shinigami. Aborting his attack, Rose saw each arrow taking on the shape of a small sword. Managing to dodge most, a few shredded him, taking out good chunks of flesh in the process.

When the storm finally ended, Rose made a cross guard and took a augmented punch dead on. Feeling his bones break, Rose soared back and ran through three buildings before colliding against another. Stuck in a wall, Najahkoop reappeared before punching Rose again in the chest, destroying most of his ribs. Zanpakuto about to be let go, Najahkoop stabbed the wrist holding it with a energy sword, pinning him down. And in a act of sadistic pleasure, Najahkoop pulled Rose and forced him to dangle from his pinned wrist, adding tremendous pressure to his arm and stretching all available muscles painfully.

"This look suits you. How it feel to be my little doggie on its leash?"

 _ **Spit!**_

To Najahkoop's dismay, a red slob of blood hit his cheek. Rose, despite his injuries, gave a victorious smile to his nemesis.

Hot anger crawled through Najahkoop's veins at that damn face.

"Know your place."

Slapping Rose hard, Najahkoop refrained himself from ripping out his eyes and scalping him clean.

"Go to Hell quincy. You'll never destroy what I am."

"The heck you said to me?"

Najahkoop forcibly grab his mouth and forced him to stare at his face. Nothing but pure venom escaped Rose's gaze.

"You know, I still have about thirty seconds left before the five minutes are up. But instead of waiting it out and crushing your spirit, I think I am going to kill you know."

"Hurry up already. Just the sound of your voice is putting me to sleep."

Blood leaking all over his face and busted lip, Rose was struggling to stay even conscious. To his morbid disappointment, it felt like he had no strength left. One arm was pinned while the other was broken. He couldn't swing a punch if he wanted to, let alone using shikai or summoning his mask. If only he continued his training and could muster it with a thought like Hiyori Sarugaki. But nothing felt more worse than the thought of failing his division. He simply was not ready for the foe before him. He truly was pathetic.

"Hey, hey! Don't die on me just yet shinigami."

Receiving a few light slaps, Rose already felt dead. There was nothing he could do.

Or was there?

Growing weary of his defeated foe, Najahkoop generated another energy sword and placed the tip over his heart.

"The one thing I loved about today was sending your sorry behind straight to the grave. May his majesty have forgiveness over your poor soul."

 _ **Stab!**_

Impacted dead center in his chest, inches away from his heart, Rose was completely in shock, close to just giving up.

"It over."

"Over my dead body. Hado thirty-four: Kongobaku."

Magma-colored reiatsu gathering in the palm of his broken arm, a sphere of pure destruction was released. Detonating at such close proximity, the entire building was engulfed in fire, drowning out all noise.

Several feet away stood Rose, prone on the ground and even more damaged. His entire right side had significant second degree burns, a miracle in itself. But dipping into his already depleted life force will guarantee him a early death. There no mistake about it.

 _ **Boom!**_

A fiery explosion took place, radiating the sky in fiery soot. Unable to physically see it, Rose could tell that the bastard quincy was still alive. He took a dip in his levels, but was far too strong in his current state. If only he could get healed and remove the swords in his chest and wrist.

"Now that gonna hurt."

Najahkoop made a purposeful stroll out from the smoke, clothes still on fire. Still relatively okay from the point-blank attack, the quincy dissolved the fires with his reiatsu alone. Pacing himself towards the injured captain, the quincy lamented how injured he was. Not too debilitating, but bad enough for his taste.

"You've outdone yourself captain. You'd managed to survive beyond my expectations even at great cost to your body. You should feel honored to die in such a glorious death."

"The only thing I would ever be thankful for is seeing your death before my own."

"Well that ain't going to happen, see."

Now above Rose, he grabbed the energy sword in his chest. Violently yanking it out, Rose began to spasm while coughing up more blood. To Rose's perspective, all he could see was the sun and the cursive quincy's face. Pain, shame, and anger was the complete totality of his existence.

"The little bit of fire in your eyes seem all but extinguished. Even for a captain as pathetic as you are, it does not suit you."

Rose could feel his vision growing blacker by the second. Corners already gone in a blue haze, he was powerless to stop his eyes from closing. Physical sensations were already disappearing, doomed to feel the cold embrace of death. And the constant ringing in his ears was doing him no justice.

"Lucky for me, I still managed to defeat you before you had the opportunity to show your true power. It goes to show how much of a great planner I am."

Staring at the quincy cackling madly, Rose saw Najahkoop materialize another energy sword. It was aiming right between his eyes.

"Now it time to sleep the eternal rest. Saw goodnight."

Rose took a calm breathe and closed his eyes, feeling Najahkoop making the motions to end his life permanently.

Ultimate despair consumed Rose, hearing nothing but silent echoing in the blackness covering his face.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Here is chapter 2. I hope you enjoyed it.

Forgive me that some techniques are written in English instead of the romanized Japanese version. I haven't found a trusted translator yet, so I have to make do with what I have.


	3. Cannot Lie to You

**Chapter 3 – Cannot Lie to Yourself**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _Weeping horizon_

 _Shadows cascading across_

 _A field of decay_

* * *

For a undetermined amount of time only blackness consumed the mind of the captain of squad three. No sounds were made, leaving the impression of a haunting echo that makes the ears beg for any type of noise to be heard. Yet slowly a heartbeat was generated, getting louder as the seconds go by. And after each beat, soft Gregorian chanting could be heard like a angel was present in the rebirth. And after one mighty beat, Rose suddenly opened his eyes and envisioned creation.

Instead of facing death, he found himself in a plain foreign to anything Soul Society could offer. The metropolis heavy in Japanese culture, replaced by a majestic flower field that stretched beyond all four corners. The sun shone brightly in the sky, accompanied by wishing stars that appeared from the faintest of blue clouds. Pleasant aromas assaulted the senses, bringing comfort as wildlife sang in their natural habitat.

It was paradise.

Standing up fully, Rose stepped out the flower garden he awoke from and gazed at something beyond all description.

A giant sal tree, glowing with a golden coloration, demanded all to bask in its glory. The base trunk width alone was miles long with unique branches penetrating out to deliver fruit and green leaves. Four gorges surrounded the tree, each one being a flowing river that streams outward from the tree. The water itself comes from the tree, appearing like a waterfall that merges with the streaming ditches it has made.

Koi and other aquatic life were swimming without a care in the world, venturing to the great beyond where the horizon dwells. Mountains bigger than Mt. Etna darted in the background's landscape, capturing the eyes as the illusion of more Gregorian chants and drums played in one's heart.

Rose was trembling, not believing where he was at.

"This is-"

From the apex of the tree, Rose saw a glimmer of light before jumping back. An incredibly long golden whip slashed the area he was just at. Looking up at the top, a pair of golden eyes met his own.

Rose instantly recognized what this was.

"Kinshara. What is the meaning of this?"

The tip of the whip dislodged itself from the ground before retreating from whence it came. Up in the shadows of the sal tree, a lone chuckle emitted before the entity jumped down.

"How many times do I have to tell you Rojuro. It _Reverend Kinshara_ to you."

Now in the light, Kinshara looked the same Rose always remembers him to be. Without a doubt, he was a zanpakuto spirit of interesting qualities.

Kinshara was wearing the classic gi of a shaolin monk, finished with comfortable martial art shoes. It was all colored orange with a few tingles of black and white intermixed. A thick red obi-sash rested on his waist, imposing to the eyes with the kanji bearing "god" displayed on the front knot. Prayer beads colored black surrounded his neck, with the front bead being an actual pearl colored snow white. The pearl with its divine nature gave off an opal aura, capturing all colors within its spectrum. Rosary beads snaked around his entire right arm, bearing a cross at the end of the hand. Earrings bearing the shape of Gautama Buddha rested on his ears, swaying from the slightest of motions.

Strangely an elf-like hat rested on his head, likely to hide his bald scalp riddled with unknown battle scars. He was incredibly short, barely being four feet tall. Having a tan complexion, he possessed no facial hair, which gave him the appearance of a clean-shaven saint. Yet a small forehead tattoo bearing the kanji 'Samsara' was etched into his skin. A golden whip hanged on his belt, dangling from his waist. Overall, he was humanoid, save for having pointy ears and elongated fangs that hid his forked tongue.

"Why am I here Kinshara? I was-"

"I am not here to get into a petty argument with you, but it should be obvious Rojuro." Roared Kinshara, making Rose flinch from his voice's bass. The zanpakuto spirit lifted his right hand, using telekinesis to pull a delicious apple from the giant tree.

"So, you want to know why I summoned you to your inner world? Simple, to buy us some time."

Kinshara took a lone bite, allowing the sweet juices filled with nectar and ambrosia to roll down his chin. Rose was not liking the hard look in Kinshara's gaze.

"Time you say? There no point in that. I'd lost."

"Shut up. Always giving up when it still too early to tell. That has always been your greatest weakness."

Rose bit his bottom lip, growing angry at the silliness of the whole situation.

"Weren't you watching? My body is a wreck out there. I have given everything I had and still lost. There no way i'm coming back from that."

"How dense can you get? Has all my training and self-discipline disappeared from your consciousness? So what you lost all of your resolve and is currently on the verge of death. In fact, the moment you go back, you should just kick his ass even harder."

"Easier said than done. Perhaps you should just send me back so that I can meet my end like a true ma-"

 _ **Smack!**_

Rose fell right on his bottom, cheek glowing red from Kinshara's slap. The apple was destroyed from the force of the slap.

"I do not want to hear any pathetic excuses from you Rojuro. You know I cannot stand that self-pity bullshit, yet even after all these years, you still lack the discipline I know you could achieve. How many times do I have to go over this with you?"

Holding onto his sore cheek as a mixture of blood and juice ran down, Rose looked at the floor instead at the harsh gaze Kinshara was giving him.

"I know that, but I have given everything I had out there. He knows my powers, and likely can counter them too. You above everyone else saw what he did to me."

Rose felt like he wasn't worthy to be called a man, let alone a captain. He failed to avenge his fallen soldiers as Seireitei is getting razed from the ground up. It was heartbreaking, too much to bear in fact. And that quincy defeated him in the end, unable to overpower his maneuvers.

"How does someone pitiful like you became a captain? Do you not remember all of your subordinates dying just to ensure your safety?"

The hair locks covered Rose's face, shadowing his shame.

"I do remember, but I was bested before I could figure out any of his weaknesses. I-"

Kinshara just that quickly gave Rose a mean uppercut, sending him in the air before he landed on his back. And before Rose could do anything, Kinshara was upon him and stomped into his gut, eliciting a cry and blood to leave his mouth.

"My how the mighty has fallen. To think you're my master makes me want to vomit."

Kinshara, how dare you!"

No, no, no. How dare **you** be a complete coward with no spine. All these centuries we have known each other and this is how you want to perish? Tch, to become a captain twice and yet you never win any of the major battles when presented to you. My gosh you are the most pathetic captain to ever materialize. That quincy is right after all. You are a disgrace, Rojuro Otoribashi. You make the name of shinigami weep."

Rose's eyes widened, allowing anger to flood in him. Everything Kinshara was saying was true, but it doesn't mean that all of his pride is dead. He was offended.

"Insinuating that I am not fit for my position? I busted my behind for it."

"Pfft, then LEAD and prove me wrong Rojuro. My foot just several inches away from gracing your face. If you're about to lick my soles, imagine what that quincy will make you do instead, HUH!"

Animated with rage, Rose was staring down his zanpakuto spirit. He even grab a handful of dirt and grass, allowing his anger to take control. It was all seen by Kinshara, giving him a smirk to belittle his pitiful emotions.

"It rare to see you this mad Rojuro. I've always said to your docile ass that your primal anger is where your true power lies. Too bad you're directing it at me instead of the enemy."

"Yeah, well today is just a crappy day for me."

"Tch', typical."

Kinshara, refraining himself from further riling up his master, simply lifted his foot off from him before turning around. Kinshara made a few steps forward as Rose slowly got back on his feet, panting heavily.

"All of those men died to protect you and create glory for Seireitei's sake. If I was your subordinate, I would be ashamed to have a leader who turned his back on me at such a hour. Especially when you still have options."

Kinshara was fuming inside, knowing that if Rose does not get his shit together, him and this entire world was going to perish. And the most damning thing about all this was that Rose HAD the power to win, but his own thoughts are going to get them both killed. All he needs to do is trust in him and everything will work out. Already the holy mountains circling this planet was growing unusually dark, a sign that life was dying off. Drastic measures needed to be made to ensure survival.

Performing intricate hand signs, Kinshara slammed a palm against the ground. A purplish pentagram surrounded him before disappearing. Outline glowing purple with his clothing slightly rising, a supreme tremor shook the inner world, causing the whole area to darken somewhat. Hearing the shakes and the wildlife crying for cover, Rose became alarmed by the spectacle before him.

"Kinshara, what are you doing?"

"It is time Rose to face your inner demon. A foe that is the personification of your darkest instincts."

"You don't mean… _him_."

Widening his arms, Kinshara spoke in an ancient Celtic language before clasping his hands together. Outline returning to normal, a final tremor took place as the giant tree's front body slightly sliced off. Seeing energized cracks forming, it blew up, leaving a gaping hole in the tree.

A terrible chill escaped from the tree, accompanied by black will-o-wisps flaring out from the darkness.

A figure of a man slowly came out, possessing power only an actual demon could carry. To Rose, it felt more hellish that any hollow in existence, likely even more sinister than Togabito's in Hell itself.

"It was been decades since I last appeared. Man it feels good to be back." Said the unknown, chilling voice.

Now in the light, the figure wore a shinigami's captain uniform, but the colors were inverted with the haori being black with the shihakusho white as cotton. White hair was worn in the exact same way when Rose first became a captain, tied together at the ends with a black ribbon. Yet his most amazing feature was his eyes. Black sclera covered by golden irises. No pupils could be found. And said eyes hid behind a mask reminiscent of a plague doctor. Smoke emitted from the beak.

"Do you remember me Rojuro? It been a mighty long time."

Rose took a step back, seeing his inner hollow materializing from his tomb. Seeing his counterparts cowardice, Hollow Rose laughed before using sonido to appear next to Kinshara. The zanpakuto spirit appeared indifferent next to his hollow half.

"Of course. How can I ever forget about _you_. The monster who threatened my very own existence with your foul stench."

Amused, Hollow Rose removed his mask, showing off his demented face. Rose grimaced how detestable he looked.

Rose visibly remembers going up against this demon of nightmares. Even after so many years of defeating him and sealing his wretched remains in the mighty sal tree, the hollow for many years tormented him in his dreams. It was a battle unlike no other, epic in scale that put everything on the line. Even to this day, trying to master the hollow's power is quite the challenge, barely managing a three-minute time mark. Among the lowest compared to his fellow visoreds.

Hollow Rose chuckled, taking a single step forward. Rose immediately grabbed for his zanpakuto.

"Looking for this?"

Not feeling his sword in its sheath, Rose grimly looked up to see no other than Kinshara holding the sealed state of his zanpakuto.

"Kinshara, give that back to me this instant!"

"I told you that it _Reverend_ Kinshara to you."

 _ **Smash!**_

Breaking the sword with a single karate chop, Rose felt his heart drop upon seeing his blade split in two. The inner hollow loved the anguished fear crossing Rose's face.

"You fool. Do you know what you have done?"

"I know exactly what I have done." Yelled Kinshara, making it a point to raise his voice to new octaves.

"Do you not realize that _I_ am your zanpakuto spirit. This cheap mimicry is the result of _your_ power, not our _combined_ might. Underneath normal circumstances, you know that once you come here, I am always by your side in the same state as this whip on my hip."

Rose was shaking, sweating bullets that he no longer held a weapon. It is true what Kinshara has said, but these aren't normal circumstances.

"Kinshara, lend me your power."

"I refuse."

"What?"

"I will not bear down my life for a master who is afraid of his own shadow. From here on out, you are by yourself."

"That not an option. Everything is at stake and I need your power to achieve it."

"Who cares."

And with that Kinshara turned his back on his master and started to walk away. Seeing him curling his hands behind his back, hot anger ran through Rose and felt animated to chase after him.

"Stop Kinshara."

"Who said that you could go visit him?"

Hollow Rose appeared before Rojuro, stunning the captain. Before he could defend himself, the inner hollow brutally kicked into Rose's gut. Coughing up copious amounts of blood, Hollow Rose laughed before punching Rose away. Skidding across the field before impacting against a river, Rose rebounded and landed on its surface.

"Kinshara, I need your power. You cannot deny me my strength." Rose was clutching his stomach, heaving for clean oxygen.

"What strength? I swear it must have been a fluke for a weakling like yourself to defeat me all those years ago."

Hearing his inner hollow behind him, Rose turned around and attempted to punch it. But his inner hollow caught it, chuckled, and punched him square in the nose. Rose walked backwards, nearly blinded from the pain.

"Your current power is a joke. Allow me to show you _real_ strength."

Hollow Rose pulled out an inverted zanpakuto in accordance to Rose's. It was radiating with power that demanded respect.

"Play, Kinshara."

Instantly the entire sword transformed into a black whip, tip reminiscent to a thorn. Rose felt stifled from his power, daring to consume him from presence alone.

"Isn't it remarkable? This is power you could have if you were more devoted to your training. Now forever reap your own powerlessness as I feast on you like I was meant to do."

Hollow Rose whipped his hand once, managing to ensnare Rose who attempted to jump away. Being squeezed to death, Rose looked at the giant sal tree and saw Kinshara himself meditating on the apex crown.

He truly didn't care if he died or not.

Hollow Rose then began to flare Rose around, crashing him against anything in sight. The ground, riverbed, tree, and even fleeing animals were all fair game. Injured almost beyond repair, Rose knew he was helpless. Bleeding everywhere, he noticed the world to be darker than ever, background almost appearing like a massive fog. The sun was nearly overtaken by stormy clouds, about to rain down Armageddon itself.

"So, this is all you are truly capable of after all? What garbage. Then it about time for me to take out the trash, with Izayoi Bara."

Hollow Rose spun Rose once before throwing him high into the air. Whip now somewhere to the equivalent to Earth's stratosphere, Rose was able to see everything wrong with his inner world.

There was nothing but decay, blackness, and death. It was beyond horrible.

In that instant, Rose cursed his own powerlessness unlike anything before in his own life. He truly wasn't fit to be captain after all. He failed his division, Soul Society, his friends, and most of all himself. It all because he lacked confidence within him. He couldn't even lift a finger to do a kido spell. Pathetic.

Kinshara studied Rose's inner monologue, even opening one eye at his seemingly demise. What was he going to do next will decide it all.

Now in position for the finishing blow, Hollow Rose gleamed with joy as he touched the black whip. Unholy energy coursed through it that raced to the top. Once it hits Rose, he will be splattered and turn into a million gooey pieces of burnt flesh. At last, it was time for him to die and rule this body for good.

Seeing the detonator racing towards the whips end, something within Rose's mind snapped and the will to live overridden everything in his spirit. Digging deep, Rose yelled with all his might. All the anger, resentment, and frustration cascaded over the world, stopping everything dead within its tracks. He truly wished he could correct the world around him, not wishing for the sweet embrace of death just yet.

But was unable to stop it.

 _ **Boom!**_

A horrible explosion took place in the upper atmosphere, drowning out all sound with waves of heavy metal notes. Giving off an unnatural light, Hollow Rose studied it as it slowly disappeared into a heap of smoke.

"I guess we really are fucked after all Kinshara. The boy truly did had bones crafted from paper."

"No, look again."

Puzzled from Kinshara's calm behavior, Hollow Rose looked up and saw Rose, still alive and not any worse for wear. A golden whip was surrounding him, somehow protecting him while escaping the black whips hold.

"Kinshara, what is the meaning of this?"

"He passed."

Feeling like he has been reborn from the explosion, his will alone eroded the darkness covering his inner world. The sun came back along with the mountains in the distant horizon. Touching the black whip belonging to Hollow Rose, it disintegrated completely, stunning the inner hollow tremendously.

Looking at the face of the captain, pure determination and ultimate resolve was etched into his features.

"Be gone."

Using shunpo to appear before his inner hollow, Rose used his shikai's tip to impale the hollow's stomach. A level of intimacy was created between the two, understanding each other's hearts just like their fated duel all those years ago.

"Nice to see that you're not so soft to the point of giving up hope Rose. Never forget that anger of yours."

"Yeah."

Hollow hole growing from the point of entry, the inner hollow started to dissolve, allowing pieces of his air-like soul to go inside of Rose's mouth for consumption. Just as quickly he came, he lost.

"Don't take this victory for granted. I really was trying to take over this body. Next time I will win."

Staring into Rose's eyes, everything about the inner hollow disappeared, making Rose whole once again.

"In the face of death, you either fold or stand up. You choose the former against the quincy, but you made the latter here today. We can offer you extra power in that fight long as you keep moving forward. Never settle for less, or you really will die and make this lesson ultimately pointless." Said Kinshara, landing next to Rose.

"So, this was all a test."

"Correct."

"I see now."

Kinshara felt like he was standing next to a different man, now firm and poised for action. It was the master he always wanted.

"If you're wondering, me and your inner hollow have you covered in the free world. Segments of your hollow mask is in place of that sword wound, avoiding any major damage. And another technicality is in place to migrate and fix it all. All you have to do is win now."

"I got it."

Face covered in hair, Kinshara was unable to read his masters face. But his attitude alone said it all.

"This reminds me the time I taught you bankai. You had to travel across this planet on a great journey to the west. And on the opposite side, you ventured to the core and discovered the power you sought for. Do you remember it all?"

"I remember."

"You gave off the same vibes just like that day. I'll never forget when you commanded an entire army to your whim, all standing by to complete your demands. The sun itself caved to your requests. Never forget where you come from, and always be brave to take a step forward."

Kinshara's entire body began to glow, slowly becoming one with the whip to his wrist. Once fully converted, it condensed into a compacted ray of energy before infusing itself with the whip in Rose's hand.

Now he was truly complete.

Fully restored to his former might, Rose willed the giant sal tree to regenerate, making his inner world the way it should always be. All lost vegetation and animals reanimated themselves back to life.

"Rojuro, me and your inner hollow are one in the same. We were once one being but split in two when the hollow virus entered my body. But we are all aspects of your soul. Command us with conviction, and we shall deliver. Never sway from your destiny."

"I promise."

Despite being a whip, Kinshara finally saw Rojuro's face behind the hair. His eyes were like fire, burning with passion and strong commitment.

Feeling one with his master, Kinshara opened up a senkaimon gate before them. It would allow Rose to leave his inner world and return to the real world.

"One last thing I need to mention to you Rojuro."

Rose looked at his zanpakuto.

"I have watched the entire battle so far and I know that quincy's knowledge about you is incomplete."

Rose's eyes slightly widened but retained the fire within.

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when he was surprised by your extensive kido prowess? That proof enough he does not know everything about you, only the abilities you have shown openly. You never used your bankai publicly in over a hundred years, and never in direct combat. I am positive he knows nothing about it, along with your plethora of shikai moves. Banish your fear. You still have cards to play. His words hold no real power to them."

Rose shook his head once, affirming the advice from his inner zanpakuto spirit. Kinshara was pleased that no more lies or doubt plagued his master's heart.

"Let's go, Kinshara and hollow."

Rose stepped through, becoming bathed in a holy white light.

* * *

 _ **Grab!**_

To the quincy's absolute shock, Rose's hand grabbed his wrist despite being dead. Twisting it with a firm grip, a drop of sweat rolled down Najahkoop's cheek upon looking at Rose's face.

His eyes changed into a hollow, black sclera replacing the white as his iris turned golden. The pupils became smaller and thinner, making him look monstrous.

"This is not the end of me just yet quincy."

Releasing a powerful surge of golden reiatsu, the quincy became petrified before Rose turned the wrist that wielded Kinshara.

 _ **Slash!**_

To Najahkoop's horror, a long horizontal slash ruined his mask. Seeing an opening, Rose kicked him away and watched him skip mid-air before recovering.

Pulling out the sword in his chest, Rose crushed the blade with a sole palm before focusing his excessive reiatsu into his wounds. To the quincy's shock, the wounds emitted a high intensity steam before closing for good.

"It cannot be. That a hollow's high-speed regeneration ability. When could you use it, and how so without your mask on?"

"That none of your concern."

Feeling rejuvenated, the extra power coursing through Rose dissipated, leaving him alone with his own devices. Taking a sword stance, Rose felt his eyes shifting, a prime indicator his semi-hollowfication ended.

"Curse you. I will kill you." Screamed Najahkoop, not believing this.

"You said that I was going to die in five minutes. Well you've failed because I still breathe. And it appears that your precious daten is incomplete after all. You don't know everything about me."

"So, you do have more powers than what the Intel describes. I should have known better." Growled Najahkoop, knowing his vision is slightly impaired due to the crack in his mask.

Rose suddenly descended back onto the ground, still maintaining his stance. The quincy did likewise.

"I am surprised that Soul Society will allow you to even use hollow powers. According to the reports, it was made specifically clear from Central 46 Intel that you and those other three were banned from using such powers. It was to ensure that the Gotei 13 maintains the integrity of never utilizing forbidden powers such as that."

"Your right, but with the world being what it is now, I am sure nobody noticed. Besides, technically I did not bring out my mask. But who cares about rules when the world itself is on fire."

"So, you're going to use that along with bankai?"

"Who knows?"

"Stop keeping me in the suspense and share the news already."

"Let's stop talking about me for a minute. You already know too much quincy. So, lets shift gears and focus on you. For starters, what is the sternritters and what does the "U" mean in your title?"

The quincy remained still, turning the question over in his head. Rose even believed he saw his eyes through the narrow cracks in his mask.

"That a trade secret."

"I won't share it. I promise."

Seeing the sly smile from Rose irritated Najahkoop. But then again, why not share some things about his organization. He still felt confident that he could defeat the captain in mortal combat.

"The sternritter is thy majesty's most prized fighting organization within the Wandenreich. Our purpose is to not only conquer Soul Society, but to also purge you Shinigami from the face of the world."

Rose blinked while digesting the information.

"I see now. So, you are the best of the best in this Wandenreich organization?"

"Correct."

Unknown to Rose, Najahkoop made a small white lie that technically isn't false. Within the sternritter exists an inner group known as the Schutzstaffel where three notoriously powerful quincy are reserved for. They have no equal where only his majesty and Haschwalth can compare to them.

"Who is this majesty you constantly speak of?"

"The godfather of the quincy. The one destined to rule over all as a sole, supreme god. He has no equal. The All-Father in many senses."

"Sounds like a far-fetch religious fairy tale."

"I can assure you that it is very much real. His majesty wields powers nobody can ever understand."

"I doubt it."

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Now, are you done with the questions?"

"Not quite. I thought you quincy's can only use bow and arrows. How come you can generate brass knuckles and fire arrows in the shape of swords?"

"Hehe, that a preconceived notion that is antique as Greece pottery. We modern quincy can conjure spirit weapons in various forms to suit our various tastes. And mine is punching and blasting people with swords."

"And that high-speed movement and blue tattoos on your skin. Are those also generic quincy powers or abilities you exclusively wield?"

Najahkoop thought about the question for a hot second. There little harm in revealing the basics of their powers.

"Those are generic, respectively called hirenkyaku and blut vene. And trust me, you are only beginning to see our immense might."

"But you still haven't told me what that "U" means in your title?"

"Enough questions for now. Perhaps I will reveal that right before you draw your last breath."

"We'll see."

Now satisfied, Rose inched forward, daring to finish the fight once and for all. Ready to begin round two, Najahkoop was ready to continue the battle of a lifetime.

 _ **Zip!**_

A sharp "snap" occurred in Rose's mind, stunning the captain.

He knew what it was. Bakudo Tenteikura.

" _This is lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto from the tenth division. Do not under any circumstance use your bankai against the enemy. They do not seal your bankai, rather they steal it. Captain Hitsugaya lost his to his opponent. I repeat, they steal your bankai_."

"Stolen?" Gasped Rose, dumbfounded by the revelation. It was even worse than what the late Sasakibe implied in his final message.

"So, the cat finally out of the bag huh? You were wise to use your general abilities instead of relying on that garbage sword." Mocked Najahkoop, putting the pieces together from Rose's reaction.

Rose tightened his grip on his zanpakuto.

Rose was simply baffled by the war's direction. Already thousands of Shinigami have died, and no reported victories anywhere in Seireitei. This was worse than the worse case scenario. But what troubled Rose was what he sensed that wasn't reported. He is confident that captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Sajin Komamura, and Soifon also took massive plunges after an incredible increase. Did they too use bankai and had it stolen?

At the last possible second, Rose dodged a brutal jab to the face. Retaliating quickly, Rose swung his sword only to see Najahkoop deflecting it with his wrist. Seeing his chest wide open, Najahkoop kicked it, causing Rose to gasp and bend over. Quickly kneeing Rose in his chin, the captain soared to the sky. The quincy chased after him, preparing for his follow up.

Managing to open one eye, Rose looked and fired a shakkaho at Najahkoop, but the quincy evaded it. Now parallel to the captain, Najahkoop slapped Rose back down, impacting against the hard ground.

The quincy remained in place, seeing through his cracked mask for any signs of movement down below. But to his dismay he saw the captain on his feet, hunched over with a firm hand over his sword.

"Play, Kinshara."

Instantly the sword became a golden whip, tip consisting of a piercing thorn.

"So, you've finally released it huh?"

Not even bothering to answer back, Rose swung the elongated weapon at Najahkoop. Right before impact, the quincy caught it with his hand, negating any potential damage.

Rose smiled.

"Kinshara Sokyoku Dai Juichiban – Izayoi Bara."

Tapping Kinshara with his fingers, the entire weapon glowed while emitting a guitar-like sound. A surge of energy rushed to the tip, detonating in a violent but quick explosion. Rose retracted the whip back to a manageable size.

"I can tell you are still alive quincy. If what you said is true, you are familiar with this attack."

"I am."

Najahkoop emerged from the dust cloud, slightly injured from the ordeal. He had to feel just how powerful Rose's shikai truly was.

"Not bad, but this level of power cannot put me down. And was that music that attack released? It sounded like garbage along with whatever art you've been sprouting about so far."

"There more where that coming from. If your so against art and music, how about a little magic then?"

"What?"

Suddenly Najahkoop felt constricted, unable to move his hands at all. Thanks to the sunlight, he was able to see a thin piece of wire wrapping around his body, growing tighter by the second.

"You remember this technique quincy? Its application is used differently, but the result should be the same."

"This is that move you used against the gillian." Najahkoop felt his body getting crushed even more, hurting to speak.

"That correct. You see, Arpeggio is my only technique that can be used in both sealed and shikai state. When used in my zanpakuto's sealed state, I need to have both my blade and scabbard in a unique position while using my hands to both generate and manipulate a powerful wire. Kind of like a musical conductor. But in shikai, all I must do is touch my opponent once with the tip and the wire appears on your body, ready to ensnare you whole."

"That insane."

"It is. Ready to be sliced open?"

Hands and Kinshara glowing golden, Rose mentally told the wire to squeeze harder, causing blood to squeeze out of Najahkoop. But to Rose's dismay, he was refusing to get eviscerated, body glowing blue with vein-like tattoos.

"Relying on your blut vein technique once again I see. So be it then."

Deciding to break an oath he kept upon becoming a captain again, Rose summoned his hollow mask to his face. Feeling like a plague doctor about to administer death via bubonic plague, Rose concentrated with all his might. Najahkoop screamed in pure agony, unable to believe he was being bested by such a foe.

"I can see your blood vessels popping even from here. Allow the weight of the Shinigami you killed to slice you open."

"I…hate….you."

Blood escaped from Najahkoop's mouth, tasting precious iron that should have never left. At this rate, he was going to die.

'I have no choice.'

Concentrating his reiatsu on his face, Najahkoop obliterated his orange mask, shattering into the wind. Feeling an incredible surge of power, Najahkoop released a purple aura, destroying the wire entirely.

Cursing, Rose disengaged his hollow mask, needing to conserve his power for the time being.

"You surprise me Shinigami. You are the first to ever force me to go to such lengths in this land. Besides his majesty, you are the second to achieve this privilege."

"I am honored." Mocked Rose, hating the new level of power the quincy was giving off.

Stepping out of the smoke, Najahkoop now displayed some different features. His eyes were now visible, orange in color with a white sclera. Interesting a checkerboard-like scar was above his right eyebrow. His alternating black and white teeth were now fully white, shining when his mouth opened. And his hair became loose, dangling to his mid-back while curling up in a dreadlocks-like manner.

"So, this entire time that mask was an inhibitor to your power?"

"Yes. Unlike your hollow mask which gives power, mine takes it away. It restricts me to lower levels in the name of training, but once removed I can use my full potential. And I assure you, you're just seeing the beginning of my capabilities."

"Just great."

"If you thought your shikai and hollow mask will save you, think again. Your only saving grace is bankai, and we both know what will happen once you use that."

Rose clenched his teeth, hating his odds of making it out alive. But he had to go on.

"Now fight me."

Najahkoop raced down towards Rose, leaving a vacuum in his wake.

Rose was stunned, unable to see the quincy due to his extraordinary speed.

"Die."

Najahkoop was to his side, about to punch him with his spiritual brass knuckles. Rose knew that once they connected, he was good as dead.

 _ **Chip!**_

To Rose's absolute shock, a thin orange barrier surrounded him before shattering from the force. Najakoop was perplexed by Rose's seamless reflexes.

"Bakudo 75: Gochutekkan."

Five chained pillars materialized above Najahkoop, impacting and pinning him against the floor. Now immobilized, Najahkoop cursed as Rose looked to his left.

"You guys."

"We made it in time captain."

Shinta Seko, a shinigami for only a few years held both of his arms out. Ever since joining, he has honed his skills in kido and became eligible to become the twentieth seat.

"We won't allow you to die."

The speaker was named Inose, a large man who served the third division for many years. He now holds the seventeenth seat and was responsible for using the level seventy-five bakudo spell.

Two other men had their hands on Inose's shoulders, supplying power for the spell. The first was a guy called Aida, a man of average features. He held the eighteenth seat.

The final was Kano, a shinigami who loved the division just as much as Izuru Kira. He had slicked up blue hair and spoke very softly. He wielded the ninetieth seat.

Overall, the last remaining seated officers of Rose's division was here with him. The final frontier against a force that wiped out the rest.

This did not ring well for the captain, but was grateful for their assistance. He will not lose them to.

* * *

 **Authors Notes:** Well, this chapter should have been released well over a year ago, but things kept on happening that made me postpone it. But it is here at last and I hoped the wait was worth it. Hopefully chapter 4 will come out sooner rather than later. Cheers!


	4. The Apocalypse's Sunset

**Chapter 4: The Apocalypse's Sunset**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _Desolate landscape_

 _The wails of the sirens have_

 _Shaped Armageddon_

* * *

Allowing the cold wind to lick his skin in this destroyed world, Rose took a deep breath. He was beyond grateful that some of his service members were still alive and would personally hug each one if he could. His divisions flower, the marigold, represents despair where hope can no longer exist within ones heart. But for once, he wanted this situation to be the exception and no longer feel that perpetual fear against such overwhelming odds. Not after the trials and tribulations he went through to wield Kinshara once again in this duel of the fates.

Swiping some hair off from his face, Rose addressed his four men, the last of a proud squad tethering on complete annihilation. He promptly used shunpo to stand before them in a protective manner, in case Najahkoop tried anything funny.

"From the bottom of my heart, I can never thank you enough for the assistance you gave me. Really, you guys are lifesavers. However, you four, leave here this instant. This is not a battle you can aid me any further. Go while I can still protect you."

All four gasped, startled by the commandment their captain gave them. It made sense, but they lost so much from this blitzkrieg as it is. They did not want to run away, not after being so deep in this war and seeing their brothers-in-arms die all over the streets of Seireitei.

"But captain, we have nowhere else to go. Everyone else in our division has been killed and we want to help." Yelled Aida, refusing to abandon his captain to a disgusting quincy.

"We four were assigned to protect a building with civilians inside, but we couldn't stop the enemy. They all died, and we were the only survivors. Upon regaining our strength, we came here, hoping we could assist you in anything." Said Shinta with shame gripping his soul. These quincies easily have power comparable to shinigami captains, a tier grossly above his own. He never hated his powerlessness more than ever. His good friend, Sugama, died to make sure he lived. This irks him the most.

"And we heard what happened to our lieutenant and his platoon. We want vengeance." Roared Inose, highly upset how Izuru Kira perished. Inose was also good friends with fifth seat Taketsuna Gori and his death has made Inose see nothing but red. He wants to kill everyone for the wrongs they have committed today.

Hearing his soldier's intentions, Rose's purple eyes briefly shook before regaining a stillness that showed his hardness. He looked directly at Najahkoop, still pinned to the floor.

"I cannot accept your help. I appreciate everything you have done, but you would become a burden to me if you remained. I won't allow that."

Rose clenched a fist before continuing.

"Inose, you needed the power of both Aida and Kano to use that bakudo spell. And you even used a full incantation on top of it. Together, this is how far your cooperative strength can go. But as you can see, it not enough. He is breaking free of it."

"What?" Shouted the three, with Shinta looking at the quincy who was now smirking.

"Very perceptive of you captain. Your eyes get better as this battle progresses." Said Najahkoop, sending dread to the four seated officers that their combined power was just not good enough.

The quincy glowed purple before using his superior reiatsu to shake the pillars. Hearing the chains breaking apart, with one mighty pulse he shattered the pillars, freeing himself from imprisonment. The crumbling structures fell around him as he rose to his feet, undisturbed by the small setback. His glowing orange eyes revealed a level of terror that made the four seated warriors to take a step back. Rose remained steadfast however, ready to use Kinshara for deadly purposes as he stared into the haunting glow of Najahkoop's wicked gaze.

"Impossible. That was our strongest combined bakudo spell." Exasperated Kano, terrified their efforts were ultimately fruitless. They really had no chance in this battle.

Loving his growing notoriety, Najahkoop began to slowly walk towards the five. Each step made an echo, getting louder the closer he gets.

"As thanks for preventing me from killing that silly captain of yours, I think I shall make the effort to kill the remaining seated officers of this worthless division.

Rose mirrored Najahkoop, too walking forward with ill intentions in mind.

"Over my dead body, which we both know isn't happening. Today you and you alone shall die where no choir shall sing your name in honor, quincy."

"Strong words from someone with a dead division."

"Choose your next words carefully. They might be the ones to get chiseled on your tombstone in the graveyard of fools."

"Ever since you came back from the dead you have been much more boastful and confident. I will rectify that by cutting off your head."

"We shall see."

Mere inches apart, both stopped before their adversary. Their heartbeats were one, ready to pump to see which one can outlast the other in a bloody dance to the death.

"That damn monster. He really did kill everyone else." Gasped Shinta, unable to help his body by making a few steps back. The other three felt the same way. It would be best to go and simply believe in their captain. They are just too weak.

"Kick his ass captain." Shouted Kano to give some encouragement to their fearless leader. All four took their captains orders to heart and sprinted at the other direction. They hoped to god their captain achieves victory. They needed vengeance and a decisive win on the side of the Gotei.

"Care to make the first move quincy?"

"My pleasure."

At super speeds Najahkoop tried to punch Rose in the face to break his nose, but Rose ducked just in the nick of time. Despite losing a few strands of hair, Rose tried to uppercut Najahkoop to send his chin soaring to the sky as teeth rain down. But the quincy tanked it, only whipping his head back slightly since he was surprised that the captain utilized hakuda, something the Daten suggest he rarely do. But upon regaining himself and about to attack Rose underneath him, the captain was gone, who used shunpo to get behind him.

"Behind you."

Managing to wrap Kinshara around Najahkoop's offending arm, Rose yanked it to make the quincy come towards him. Rose then lifted his free hand.

"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! - Hadō #63. Raikōhō!"

Firing a golden blast of superheated electricity that was higher than most buildings, it threatened to engulf the quincy on the spot. But Najahkoop smiled at the face of death, unafraid at the imminent calamity.

"Blut Arterie."

Allowing red veins to cross over his flesh, Najahkoop used his free hand to intercept the kido blast. Upon collision, much to Rose's shock, it was not pushing like how it was supposed to be doing.

"Damnit. Where are you getting all of this damn strength?" Roared Rose, gritting his teeth at the unpleasant challenge.

Pouring more power into it, the Raikoho pushed Najahkoop back, but the quincy dug his feet into the ground to create a stalemate. His muscles were working on full throttle. But he was smirking, making a step or two forward every few seconds much to Rose's bewilderment.

"Watch this."

Pulling the hand that was wrapped by Kinshara still, Rose was overpowered and headed straight towards his own kido attack. Refusing to let go of his whip, Rose detonated his kido prematurely that created a massive explosion on the battlefield.

Both Rose and Najahkoop flew back, unable to resist the shock itself. Rose rebounded in mid-air as Najahkoop skidded on the ground before regaining a standing posture in a style reminiscent of a martial arts stance. He was smoldering, deactivating blut arterie to conserve his power.

The four seated officers, despite wishing to turn around and assist Rose, continued to run away since they would be too weak to make a difference.

Suffering minor wounds as blood dripped down from his forehead, Rose called Kinshara back into a smaller size. But out from the explosions smoke, Najahkoop jumped into the air. Rose chased after him, soaring into the greater sky to finish what they have started.

"Let's see if you will like this." Said Najahkoop, getting in front of the sun to make him appear a bit more ethereal. Rose slightly squinted at the immense glare before him.

Clasping both of his wrists together, both brass knuckles glowed purple as Najahkoop spread his palms out. Najahkoop made a sinister chuckle as his eyes glowed a bit brighter.

"Stark Regen."

An ominous ball of energy formed between the hands before rupturing. Instantaneously countless volleys of energy swords sprang to life, covering the entire battlefield in its blanketing radius. Surprised but not caught off guard, Rose started to spin Kinshara before him like a helicopter propeller to act as a shield. All the swords were deflected, falling to the wayside and implanting in anything they touched.

Pissed that his tactic failed, Najahkoop stopped his assault only to quickly move his head to the side to avoid being impaled by Kinshara's tip. But his cheek got nicked.

"What wrong quincy? Afraid your power isn't good enough anymore?"

Generating a sword, Najahkoop swooped down to cut the still ascending captain but was intercepted by the revolving Kinshara. Now within range, Rose kicked Najahkoop in his chin, making spittle fly out from his gums. Swinging Kinshara again, it impacted his gut before ruthlessly flinging him to the ground.

Before hitting the ground, Najahkoop as expected activated blut vene, but the damage was noticeable. Plucking the tip out of his body, he rolled to avoid a drop kick on his face. Generating a new energy sword, he started to parry every whip attack coming to him. Even in his advanced form, Najahkoop was struggling to push back Rose like how he did at the beginning of their match. It inconceivable for this to be happening. His confidence, will to kill, and shikai was just making that much of a difference.

Jumping to avoid a sweeping strike, Najahkoop rushed forward to lap off Rose's head with his energy sword. Blocking, Rose skied a few feet back from the sheer pressure before jumping. Firing several shakkahos, Najahkoop slashed them several times before jumping to skewer Rose. But again, it was blocked, making Rose's back crash into a wall with Najahkoop on top of him. Rose blocked his sword strike with Kinshara, creating a stalemate.

"If this is your best quincy, I truly have nothing else to fear."

"Tch, don't get cocky you little sh-"

Before he could even finish, a hollow mask materialized on Rose's face from mere thought alone, amplifying his power tremendously. Pushing Najahkoop away with pure strength, Najahkoop had his stomach slashed from a quick swipe from Kinshara's tip. Blood leaked down, making the quincy curse openly. Using Shunpo to get underneath Najahkoop, Rose concentrated as he began to spin Kinshara above his head. It was time for his second performance on this fine evening of war.

"Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Nanaban: Zetsuretsu Goushouran!"

Performing his seventh sonata, Kinshara elongated until it was well within the clouds, spinning faster. Trapped within the center of the vortex, a tornado formed that began to throw Najahkoop around. But the current was simply too strong to be fought against, making the quincy fly around the swirling winds without control.

"Now for the encore."

Spinning even faster and moving his spinning hand in a linear back and forward motion, the tornado became an irregular shaped cone as the fierce winds made a sound reminiscent of deep piano keys. And to the epic conclusion of the sonata, the entire tornado became a compressed ball of wind that was slashing the quincy in every possible way before exploding. All clouds from a mile radius were eradicated, leaving a deaf tone to usher across the land.

Silence all that remained.

Shrinking Kinshara back to manageable levels and removing his mask, Rose was no fool and still maintained his guard. And out from the smoke a lone body fell, crashing into the Earth with a mighty thud.

It was the quincy, landing on his hands and knees as blood freely fell from every pore. He was breathing a bit hard, abusing blut vene to avoid a truly decisive blow that will cripple him.

"Seeing you in that position warms my heart. I am glad I knocked you off your socks with that performance."

"Damn it. What was that? That wasn't in the Daten?"

"Oh that? I guess there no harm telling a dead man a secret now, right?"

"Tch, you bastard."

"Watch your tongue before I cut it off like what happens to misbehaving children in the presence of their superior."

Rose was not in a forgiving mood and planned to kill this quincy no matter what. Najahkoop remained silent, pissed to be in this predicament. Hearing his silent cooperation, Rose carried on.

"Kinshara in my opinion is one of the most elegant and poetic zanpakuto's in existence. A perfect reflection of my soul that represents harmony, limitless desires, and beauty that lies beyond sad tears. No other sword compares to him. Despite mainly being used for melee strikes, ultimately, he is a kido-type that can create various effects that captures the heart. It can do anything with its melodies. I have no limits quincy. From illusions to elemental control I can wield it all with a mere flick of my wrist. I am the conductor of this show and soon the finale called your life shall be at hand."

"And that technique is such an example?"

"Precisely. As you seen from my battle during the Winter War, the only shikai technique I ever used was Izayoi Bara. Arpeggio is unique for my sealed state, though it can be used in my shikai state as well. But it just one of many powers my zanpakuto can do. Izayoi Bara is Sonata number eleven, while Zetsuretsu Goushouran is number seven. I still have nine more abilities I have yet to reveal in the open quincy, not including my bankai that unfortunately I cannot use. Your out of your league. And Kinshara is blessed because I can extend and contract it with no limits. Even if you appear on the other side of Soul Society, Kinshara will find you and finish you off."

To make his point Rose rested his shikai whip over his shoulder, looking down on Najahkoop like the scum he was. As for Najahkoop, he recalls Rose's predecessor, the diabolical Gin Ichimaru having a bankai that can travel up to 13 kilometers and being the self-proclaimed fastest zanpakuto in existence despite the incredible length. To think there a shikai that can defeat a bankai's length was absurd to think about.

Rose then began to walk down the crater, startling the injured quincy.

"Pray to your majesty quincy. Your final hour has arrived. I have the perfect sonata that will mark your departure from this world. Rest in Hell."

Unable to properly stand up yet, Najahkoop prepared to use his greatest power he had in his arsenal. He refused to go out on his hands and knees like some wounded puppy. But upon looking at Rose, he saw an object heading towards him. Sensing it, Rose stopped his approach and looked up to at the object flying above him.

 _ **Clink!**_

"What the Hell is this?"

"I see now."

A black transmitter blade, identical to the previous one, embedded itself in the heart of the crater. Rose from the corner of his eye saw the second division Shinigami throwing it but paid him no mind. He did not want Najahkoop to find his position to ensure his safety.

" _To every captain, lieutenant, and every soldier within Seireitei, listen very closely_."

Rose tightened his grip on Kinshara, prepared for more damning news on the shinigami front.

" _Substitute soul reaper Ichigo Kurosaki is currently heading to Soul Society. I repeat, Ichigo Kurosaki is on his way for assistance_."

Rose's eyes widened, surprised that his fellow visored was on the way to assist them. He was not as close to him like how Hiyori or Shinji is, but always respected his drive and ambition to protect his hometown and friends. They never really talked, but he has fought him twice. Once to save Hiyori from dying to his powerful inner hollow and then his ten-minute fight against his hollow possessed body. The boy was very strong for his age, and Rose had to use everything just so he would not die. So, his coming, stronger after defeating Aizen, will be a nice reprieve they all needed. This alone made him smile that the tides of the war were about to change.

" _The Quincies are unable to steal his bankai for whatever reason. The SRDI confirmed this earlier. Stay alive until he arrives_."

"Well that a relief."

"Ichigo Kurosaki? He should be in Hueco Mundo still. Fuck, that foolish Quilge Opie failed us. That insufferable moron had one job. Damn him."

Rose looked at Najahkoop with a look of apprehension. His eyes lost their passion when gazing at the state of his enemy.

"Supposed to be in Hueco Mundo? What are you talking about quincy?"

"That none of your concern."

"Well I'm making it my business. Tell me everything you know, and I might make your death less painful. Maybe even merciful enough by leaving some of your body remaining to be placed in a urn."

"Scary talk from such a foppish man. I fear no one besides his majesty, so your threats have no effect on me."

"Even underneath torture?"

Rose inched forward; heart ready to slay the fool before him. Najahkoop deepened his pitiful stance in the ashen crater.

"Do your worst."

"So be it."

"Tch, IS THIS ALL YOU CAN DO? Your fucking pathetic, NaNaNa."

Both Rose and Najahkoop's eyes widened, looking in the sky to see a hooded figure cloaked in the rays of the sun. Carrying heavy luggage, he dropped it between the two combatants. When they landed, Rose instantly gasped, horrified by what he was seeing.

"This…this is."

It was four bodies, burnt to the point all but the faces were skeletal. Rose walked to them, taking a knee and caressing their horror-stricken faces.

"Inose….Kano….Shinta…Aida."

Supreme emotions took over Rose, knowing that all his seated warriors in his division were now truly dead. These were the last ones and wanted every fiber in his body to see them safe and protected. But he failed, and they too have perished in this unholy invasion.

The hooded figure used hirenkyaku to appear next to Najahkoop, arms crossed and proud of his handiwork. His green eyes were boring holes through Rose, unamused by the sympathetic captain and his woes.

"Your squad is a bunch is piss poor soldiers who cannot even fight. They are so weak that I barely used a tenth of my overall power. Your lieutenant was trash. I blew his heart out the moment I arrived. Tch, how pathetic."

Rose, snapped out of his depressive thoughts, looked at the hooded man. His purple eyes locked with his green ones, creating an intimate level of animosity that incomprehensible to describe. Allowing a single tear to leave his left eye, Rose did not even notice his legs picking him back up as he looked at the quincy who killed his partner and most loyal companion.

"It was you. You're the one who killed…..Izuru Kira."

The hooded quincy smiled, removing his hood to make his entire face visible to the captain.

"Yes, it was me. Bazz-B, the executioner of your top generals."

Before Najahkoop and Bazz-B, Rose's face distorted as a level of hatred came across it that never been seen before. His reiatsu, a deep purple began to ooze out from his body and coat his outline. It even created a chilling breeze in the crater, making both Sternritters to get goosebumps.

"Kira. Togakushi. Gori. And Katakura. I will avenge you all and allow you to find peace."

"Huh? Sounds like a threat captain. You planning to kill me? Well then-"

Gathering reishi in a black gloved hand, a crossbow with a handle shaped like a handgun materialized. An arrow was already ready to be fired.

"-You will have to earn it first. Die shinigami!"

Firing a heilig pfeil, to Bazz-B's shock Rose deflected it with an instinctual flick of Kinshara. Not alarmed since he might have been wrong by assuming Rose was too weak from his prior injuries, Bazz-B jumped in the air and fired twelve heilig pfeil's at the captain. But to his amazement each one was deflected at impeccable speeds. Wasn't this supposed to be one of the weaker captains? It seems he might have lucked out and may get a challenge after all.

"Yo NaNa, I am taking over this fight. This guy mine."

Coughing up blood but not in the position to argue, Najahkoop nodded as Rose's reiatsu levels were increasing at an alarming rate. And to Najahkoop's surprise, Rose's eyes were identical to that of a hollow's, allowing streams of tears to leak out at copious amounts. It was obvious that Rose is the type that gets stronger the more upset he gets. It was startling to see in actuality.

Rose's mind was in a deep haze filled with rage, guilt, sadness, and total mayhem. He could hear the cries of pained chanting in his inner world, synonymous with the thunder racing across the Heavens where his spirits abide to. Gripping the handle of Kinshara so tightly that his palms bled, Rose solemnly looked at every single orifice on his dead men's bodies. Besides these seated officers, others that Najahkoop killed were still visible, slowly rotting underneath the sun. All of them were dead.

He was the only one remaining from his division.

That when his mind snapped. Everything appeared like a mass of red dirt stains like a graveyard was exposed to the world of the living. This was Hell, the epitome of suffering where demons clad in white were trying to blanket the sun in eternal darkness. And only he could stop this mayhem from spreading any further, or bear witness to even more horrors.

Hearing the bell of death from the oldest of mausoleums, Rose's hollow eyes started to glow as his outline grew even brighter. His tears evaporated from the sheer intensity of his reiatsu's heat.

"May we meet again on the other side men."

"They are not worthy of any final grievances. Allow them to simply rot and come and face m-"

Moving faster than a speeding bullet, Rose swung Kinshara to hit Bazz-B dead in his jaw. Dodging by a nano-inch, Bazz-B was caught off guard by the raw speed the captain just performed. With superhuman reflexes and not even fazed, Rose whipped his zanpakuto so much that a series of illusions followed, allowing thousands of whipping like motions to attack Bazz-B in all directions. Surprised but not one to take it like a bitch, Bazz-B avoided every one until his left leg got ensnared.

"Bakudo 11: Tsuzuri Raiden."

Releasing a volt of electricity, Bazz-B was hit directly before being flung around and impacting against a building. Rose retracted his zanpakuto, breathing heavily from the ordeal. Najahkoop was shocked, unable to believe that Bazz-B got caught so easily.

Hearing a mighty rumble, the entire building evaporated from a powerful explosion. Not even damaged, Bazz-B landing back on the ground before cracking his neck.

"Not bad. You got some bite after all. Don't disappoint me, shinigami."

"Those are my words."

"Heh, I never took you for someone who is hard. I look forward tearing you apart. That same arrow killed your lieutenant as these very hands broke your other men's faces in. Impress me."

Releasing a supreme reiatsu pillar into the air that seemed to merge with the sun itself, Rose did the same as their opposing energies collided. It was the premise of a grand battle between two captain-class warriors that will change the direction of the war. One for evil and greed, and the other for righteousness and justice.

And the moment a cloud partially covered the sun, both Rose and Bazz-B rushed forward, intending to end the other with their next blow.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** I am happy that I got this chapter out much sooner than the last one. We are officially at the halfway point, but expect much more things to happen before this mini-series concludes. So stay tuned for the next installment.

As a heads up, despite so many shinigami from the Kasumioji arc appearing in this canon-plausible AU who hailed from the Third Division, they have been rearranged to fit in this story since I cannot safely set that filler arc in here without disrupting too many manga narratives. So sadly, Shusuke Amagai and Makoto Kibune never existed to begin with, including the Kasumioji conspiracy.

The unique move Najahkoop called " _Stark Regen_ " is German for " **Heavy Rain** ".

I would like to want a make a special shoutout to my good friend **LuxNoctis88** for helping me translate Rose's original technique I made; **Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Nanaban: Zetsuretsu Goushouran** (金沙羅奏曲第七番: 熱烈合唱嵐, Kinshara Sonata Number Seven: Passionate Chorus Cyclone). Please support his channel and read " **In Search of an Equal** ", a crossover series between Bleach and Harry Potter. I am sure you will enjoy it just as much as I have.

* * *

 **Review:**

Q: I like this mini series which delves more into Rose's character that Kubo didn't had the chance to portray in the Manga. But i'm curious: isn't Nanana supposed to attack Yamamoto at one point in this invasion? And during that sneak attack he seemed quite unscaved: just mentioning cause this would mean that he will need to make a run for it (seeking that he is losing), and get a new set of clothes and mask while healing from his injuries as well. all that in a short amount of time.

 **A:** Thank you for the review and liking it so far. And your right, this will bleed into the canon scene that leads to Yamamoto, but I have it all figured out. I basically had a year and a half to sort this, and I believe you will like what I have cooked up. Stay tuned for when that big reveal is made!


	5. Symphony of all Requiems

**Chapter 5: Symphony of all Requiems**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _That numbing despair_

 _My blood drips down on the leaves_

 _Staining it all red_

* * *

No matter which thesaurus or dictionary was used, words alone could never describe the level of mayhem taking place across all of Soul Society. Whole sections within Seireitei are engulfed in fire, littered with destroyed buildings and rotting dead bodies piling on top of each other. The sky was slowly becoming overtaken with smoke, making the hopeful rays of the sun become less apparent to those that stare at the Heavens for a sign. The stragglers who survived the initial onslaught walked among the living aimlessly, disorientated and exhausted before collapsing next to a body feasted by rats. And when they closed their eyes as their hearts stopped, they instinctively knew that their bodies will have the same fate as the corpse next to them.

The world was dying, overtaken by a force they could not stop. Sins of the fathers were finally being paid their dues.

Deep within the eastern part of Seireitei, two blinding pillars penetrated the ashen skies that made even earthquakes to take root. One was a deep red, appearing as the color of blood that shimmered from the sheer intensity. The other was a majestic purple, having shades of black and white intermixed to display the duality of having hollow powers infused with shinigami strength. Upon the pillar of energies colliding, it became a searing tower of white that created a symbol of clout for all to see within Soul Society. Eyes locked to their opponent, both progenitors of the immense energies charged ahead to claim victory against their adversary.

 **Boom!**

The pillar of energy exploded, showing Bazz-B and Rose have passed each other. Blood was in the air, cut from someone from the violent exchange. Both stopping in mid-air, the captain who was partially hollowfied took a knee among the sky. His shoulder was cut, but quickly deduced that it was minor. He would survive from it. But hearing a rushing noise from behind, he disabled his air-walk to avoid a mean lariat from Bazz-B. Rose was falling like an angel descending from the Heavens, his hollowfied eyes having no fear in them.

"Tch, get back here."

Flying down to intercept the captain, Bazz-B fired a shot from his heilig bogen at the center of Rose's chest. But the captain caught it with his free hand, crushing the energized arrow before rebounding from a reishi platform and charging at the quincy.

 _Crack!_

Punching each other in the face, blood leaked out from each cheek before both started wailing on the other. Better suited in hand to hand combat, Bazz-B got more hits in and blocked the vast majority of blows Rose delivered. Managing to deliver a sinister left hook to Rose, the captain flew back before catching himself. Wiping blood away from his lips, he frowned as his eyes shone underneath the sun. His rage and hollow powers were making him a bit of a berserker, but that does not mean he has also lost his smarts.

Seeing that the whip has elongated on it own, Bazz-B saw the tip aiming towards him. Grabbing it before it impaled his forehead. Rose made a smirk before the tip released a pollen filled gas over Bazz-B's face.

"FUCK! My eyes. What is this shit?"

Letting go of the whip and clawing at his face, thus disengaging his spirit weapon, Rose retracted the whip to a smaller size.

"Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Ichiban: Kokuindou."

"What?"

"It the first sonata in my vast repertoire of techniques. The black departing that serves as the intro to my album of dark tracks. I don't use it too much, but you will like what is in store for you."

"You cheap fuck. You shall pay for this."

Done rubbing his face, Bazz-B pointed two fingers at the captain. He was about to destroy him in hellfire of epic proportions. But when he tried to pour power into it, he suddenly felt a spiking pain in his body. Disengaging his fist, Bazz-B howled in pain.

"Damn, what have you done to me?"

"Take a look at your forehead. The answer lies there." Said Rose, pointing at it.

Touching it as instructed, Bazz-B gulped that he felt a bump on said region. And to his shock it was getting bigger.

"You bastard. WHAT IS THIS!"

"That right there is the bud of death that I implanted in your flesh. A seed is currently nurturing itself from your own blood and reiatsu, which would cause excruciating pain if you used any reiryoku attacks since it needs it to mature. The stronger you are, the faster it grows. Based on your strength, you have three minutes before a black rose blossoms and devours your entire head and makes a garden out of your carcass. A beautiful finale to a cursed soul such as yourself. I respect life, so I never use this to give my enemies the benefit of a doubt. But you quincy are not worthy to take another breath. Not in my home. In the name of my squad you killed, today you die Bazz-B."

Rose's eyes were filled with hatred, amplified thanks to their unnatural colorization. He would show no mercy to these uncivilized swine in the name of vengeance. And with that Rose gave Bazz-B his back, done with the quincy.

"Hey, this isn't over yet."

"It is. Your finished. You can no longer fight. All I have to look forward to is you becoming plant matter before a diseased stricken dog fertilizes you with shit."

To make his point come across, Rose resealed Kinshara back into a katana before sheathing it. To Rose, the writing was on the wall and the quincy was finished.

"Hey, you shouldn't underestimate me."

Saying it in a calm voice that made Rose look over his shoulder, red veins spiraled across Bazz-B. and to Rose's shock, a stream of fire shot from his forehead before cauterizing itself and leaving the smallest of scars. A burning seed fell to the Earth, failed to reach maturation and kill it host. Rose made the darkest of frowns, turning his whole body to look at the quincy.

"What was that you just did? Explain yourself."

"Tch, like I would ever do that you filthy shi-"

"It okay Bazz-B, allow me to handle this." Said Najahkoop, appearing next to his comrade in the sky. This surprised Rose, especially that he recovered so quickly. He was persistently stubborn.

Generating an energy sword with a ringed handle, Najahkoop began to spin it as the red tattoos on Bazz-B slowly disappeared.

"Hmph, go on then." Said Bazz-B, folding his hands in his pockets and appearing indifferent to the whole matter. Najahkoop nodded, now giving the captain his undivided attention.

"The power Bazz-B just used is the opposite of blut vene, known as blut arterie. It vastly increases the power of us quincy and is strong enough to make us challenge bankai-wielding opponents by itself. I used this to help defeat your raikoho earlier. It a skill all us quincy appreciate."

"I am not surprised. You bastards never seem to run out of any tricks. And I assume that increase is what made that stream of fire to occur?"

"Yes and no?"

"Explain?"

"Hehe, that something I don't have the right to share with you-"

Both Najahkoop and Bazz-B suddenly widened their eyes, alarming Rose. But upon seeing the ugly smile of Najahkoop made disgust to creep up on him.

"Well, looks like that both As Nodt and Mask De Masculine have won."

"What was that?"

"You're an intelligent man. Sense over there." Najahkoop pointed his finger behind Rose.

Slightly turning around, Rose became alarmed that he barely sensed a very familiar reiatsu signature in said direction. It was truly tethering on death.

"No, it cannot be. Both Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai's levels are almost entirely gone. How is this even possible?"

Najahkoop enjoyed the panicked look crossing Rose's face. He started to spin his sword even faster.

"Very soon you will join them as well. At least you will not be the first to fall into Hell, third division captain."

Rose slowly focused his eyes back on Najahkoop. His hollowfied eyes stared into his glowing orange.

"I assumed you were the type to not believe in such places?"

"I don't, it just a figure of speech. Regardless however on whatever the fuck I believe in, you are finished shinigami."

"Yet I am still here quincy. Your five minutes have longed expired by this point. Can't you not see the writing on the walls? You cannot kill what I am."

"The same walls I destroyed? Me and Bazz-B are the reason only you is left alive, captain of a dead division."

Annoyed beyond all reasoning, Rose unsheathed his zanpakuto and released it back into it shikai state. He has to kill these two quickly before he is unable to fight anymore. Kinshara and his inner hollow have been supplying him with extra power to keep his stamina up, but he can only last for so long.

"I think it time I showed you one of the greatest powers us quincy can use. A form that surpasses anything either me of Bazz-B has shown yet."

This caught Rose's attention, holding his guard before the enemy.

"So Nana, you're about to use that? You must be desperate to go that far."

"He earned it, despite how I initially thought of him."

"What are you two quincy talking about?"

"A power that surpasses your bankai."

Making his sword disappear, Najahkoop grabbed an earring on his left ear and began to twirl it. Upon closer inspection it had the Wandenreich symbol on it. This caught Rose's attention.

"All of us quincy have our version of the sanrei glove, though we like to call it leiden hant. This is the pinnacle of our power, and I will show you just why you are so outclassed. Bazz-B, watch yourself."

Without hesitation Najahkoop ripped the earring off and crushed it. Instantly a brilliant pillar of blue energy wrapped around him, ascending all the way to the mesosphere where the top became a Celtic cross symbol. The entire world shook, making the sky appear a bit darker as the Heavens tried to bear the weight of this overwhelming power.

Bazz-B was blown back a bit, but largely endured such a power increase up close. Usually Najahkoop uses this state while his power is still sealed by his mask. The fact he was using it with it off means he will reach the full zenith of his capabilities. So far based on his sensing, only Robert Accutrone has entered the quincy holy form for battle. And it likely that Quilge Opie has done the same against special war potential Ichigo Kurosaki in Hueco Mundo. Either way, this will get the ball rolling.

Still gripping on Kinshara, Rose could feel the incredible power emitting before him. He was no fool, easily understanding that this ascension now far exceeds his own capabilities. But without the ability to perform bankai, he has no choice but to go on. Even if he does perish, he will fight no matter what. All he has left is his pride as a captain.

Slowly the pillar shattered, revealing an angle in the center of the dimming light. Large, feathery blue wings were attached to his back that spread wide to make him appear majestic. A halo was above his head, shining brightly as it outshone the sun itself within the vicinity. Metal gloves wrapped around each hand as his uniform wrapped around his figure more tightly, now wearing a full shirt with an extended cape. His dreads extended and reached all the way to his knees as his eyes became pure blue. His muscularity expanded by a good portion, seeing veins racing down his figure like snakes crawling over a beach.

Najahkoop was smiling, knowing his ascension has guaranteed his victory in this battle. He has no doubts about his win now. So, upon landing on the ground, he looked at his shinigami opponent with the brightest of smiles. Rose landed some distance before him, his hollow eyes shaking at the sheer monstrosity before him.

"What in Hell's name are you?"

"Hehehe, allow me to divulge to you on what you're witnessing. You see, this is known as Vollständig, the highest pinnacle of quincy powers that far surpasses your pitiful notion of bankai. The personal name of my power is known as **Visiel** , the one who can see it all. Your defeat is at hand, Rose."

Najahkoop then spread his wings out even further, appearing like he was about to take flight. Rose immediately got on guard.

"And what you don't see will hurt you."

Before Rose could retort to the angelic quincy, Bazz-B appeared underneath him, fist appearing like a molten rock ball that glowed like emerging magma.

"Burning Fist."

Punching the captain square in his gut that a rib broke, Rose coughed up blood before hurling across the battlefield and slamming into a building. The entire structure collapsed, crumbling over the captain as Bazz-B put his assaulting hand in his pocket before walking to Najahkoop.

"That what he gets for that cheap attack earlier. He all yours now."

"Heh, I expected nothing less from you. I figured you would do something like that."

When Bazz-B got close to Najahkoop, both quincy saw Rose climbing out of the rubble. A burning gash was on his stomach, oozing out blood as half of his shinigami uniform was destroyed. His shirts including the haori on the right side was simply no more, covered in fresh blood as well. The hollowfication in his eyes were gone, the power used up to ensure his survival from the ambush. He was close to reaching his limit.

Limping towards Bazz-B and Najahkoop, Rose was panting hard as his vision swam. It was taking everything to simply not fold and reseal Kinshara on the spot. Najahkoop made a sinister smile at the broken captain.

"Looks like your out of cards left to play captain. Killing you now will be easier than taking candy from a baby. The question is how I am going to kill you now?"

Rose then took a knee, making Najahkoop laugh even harder.

"Submitting before your better huh? Well played. I shall enjoy seeing you die once and for all."

The hair on Rose's head covered his facial features, hiding whatever expression he may be holding. All he did was slowly exhale oxygen and oozing out blood.

 **Boom!**

Hearing a distant explosion, both quincies turned their head at the direction. They instantly recognized on what was happening.

"Tch, special war power number one Zaraki Kenpachi is going against our leader. It appears the three sternritter sent after him have perished. Not surprised." Said Bazz-B, refraining from yawning at the silliness of it all.

"It was inevitable. Quilge Opie and three others are deaths we had to accept to make this invasion a reality. But Byakuya is dead, and this captain is going to be joining him."

Collecting reishi from the environment, a blue greatsword materialized before Najahkoop before grabbing the hilt. He swung once, creating a great fissure behind him as a show of his power.

"I shall kill him before his majesty finishes off Zaraki. That way we can assist him in case anything else happens."

"Sounds good with me." Said Bazz-B, folding his arms and waiting for the finishing blow. Yet the down captain slowly got back on both of his feet, surprising the two invaders.

"So, got some last minute spunk before you croak? Your tenacity is admirable captain."

Slowly lifting his head up, fierce purple eyes looked back at the empty sea of blue that made up Najahkoop's own gaze. Despite the despair, pain, and humiliation he has endured, Rose wasn't down just yet.

"Like I said before, over my dead body quincy. This isn't over until it is over."

"Ohh?" Said Najahkoop, losing his smirk at that goddamn tone Rose was speaking in. Like he had more trump cards to play.

Rose was running off pure willpower, mind plagued with all his failures. When the clutch comes, he always folds and gets defeated when he should have remained strong. He was not strong enough to save his friend Kensei by himself when he was a hollow monster.

His solo power was too inadequate.

He could not have protected himself against Mashiro or Tosen when they ambushed him, granting enough wounds to become hollowfied himself.

A curse he can never get rid of.

He failed to defeat Coyote Starrk when partnered with Love Aikawa, doing a pitiful job overall in that match.

One of his greatest defeats he is still shameful to this day.

He was bested by Aizen in mere seconds, doomed to know that even Kinshara was used by that demented mastermind to help cut down Love.

That destroyed his confidence for many months.

And now his entire division was dead, and he all that remains. Only he breathes among his squad and refuses to allow their memory to get tainted with defeat and forever written down in the history books as a profound moment in quincy lore.

He will not go down without a fight.

 _ **Bump Bump!**_

Standing up proud and tall despite all the blood he was losing, the sun hit Rose like he was a flower destined to rise through concrete. His heart was pumping at full volume, invigorating the captain with every inch of power he had remaining. He will not fold, no matter what. Veins throbbing over his sore muscles, Kinshara took on life itself and began to make a unique formation around Rose. It was time for the final play to take place on this battlefield.

Looking at both of his enemies with a level of determination that akin to a wolf that backed to a corner, Rose whispered the name of his penultimate technique.

"Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Sanban: Jikyoku Shoushi."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** More than ever we are reaching the finale for this series. I hope you are excited just like I am.

 **Burning Fist** is a original technique I invented for Bazz-B. Hopefully it was made believable for this AU.

Once again my boy **LuxNoctis88** helped with the technique translations in this chapter. The names for these techniques are; **Visiel** (The Sight of God), **Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Ichiban: Kokuindou** (金沙羅奏曲第一番: 黒引導, Kinshara Sonata Number One: The Black Departing Song), and **Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Sanban: Jikyoku Shoushi** (金沙羅奏曲第三番: 地獄調子, Kinshara Sonata Number Three: The Tone of Hell). I hoped you liked each one of these as much as I did.

Anyways stay safe and I shall see you in the next installment.


	6. Rose that Grew from Concrete

**Chapter 6: Rose that Grew from Concrete**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _The stillness of life_

 _Trapped within the works of man_

 _Fighting to just live_

* * *

"Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Sanban: Jikyoku Shoushi."

Saying the name like it was forbidden verbiage even in Hell, the entire whip turned purple as sickly green reiryoku dripped off like it was made from diseased water. Each crevice that made the borders of each section started to emit music, manifesting in the style of haunting piano keys. Kinshara, basking in dark energy twisted underneath Rose until it created an inscribed circle underneath his feet. The circle within the triangle started to rotate and emit light, throwing the green reiryoku around Rose like a veil of immense energy. To the captain with nothing else to lose, the ritual was complete. Now it was time for the execution. Rose exerted his reiatsu that made the fires behind him roar with frightening fury, making sure to burn everything in their path.

Getting in a specific stance, the air within the circle seemingly lost all sense of gravity since the clothes on Rose slightly levitated like it was being pulled towards the sky. Blood risen up along with any nearby rocks, making the scene look completely unnatural.

"Oh Diabolus in Musica, the inferno which you bask in houses those that forsaken thy doctrines of Memento Mori. Rejoice! Repent! Sip on this cup of sanctus sanguis as the frozen tears of Lake Cocytus finally tears off."

Finishing the incantation, the spilled blood on and falling off from Rose started to glow like a strobe light, changing colors that consisted of red, blue, green, orange, yellow, white, and red. Sickly green veins that were as thin as lead pencils encircled all over his body, becoming more prominent around areas that had major wounds. Steam emitted from his blood, making the air grow hot as Rose appeared to be shimmering from the effects of it. The iconic gold locks on Rose's head became bright silver, losing all twists to become perfectly smooth and straight. Lastly his eyes became pure glowing whites of despair, appearing as if they were soulless and otherworldly to those brave enough to gaze in them.

Najahkoop and Bazz-B were stunned by the transformation, seeing a different beast before them altogether. The very nature of the captain's reiatsu changed, becoming more sinister and darker. It was hard to describe.

"Seems like you shinigami truly are the opposite to us quincy. The All-Father is right in wanting your kind to be exterminated from all of existence."

Najahkoop made five steps forward, pointing his greatsword at the shinigami. But Najahkoop hated how that it appeared that Rose was not looking at him, but straight _through him_ like he was not even there. It slightly unnerved the angelic quincy at the sight of those eyes.

"Yes, you should fear us. We aren't known as soul reapers for nothing."

Whipping his whip once that it became ready for war at the slightest twist of his wrist, Rose started to walk towards Najahkoop for the final phase of this battle.

"Jikyoku Shoushi is among my most diabolical techniques in my entire catalog. As you see, the very nature of it is wicked and completely personifies the horrorcore genre among the vast sea of musical talent in existence. By shaving off some of my very own life force, I am allowed for a brief moment to use powers that are quite unholy. I have been a shinigami for centuries, having my fair share of kills with this very same weapon in my hands. Kinshara, unlike most zanpakuto's I reckon, always keeps a piece of whatever it cuts and stores it in an underground sector as an extra reservoir of power to pull from. Overtime it conglomerates and becomes so immense that even I have a hard time containing it. I always disperse it when the lid starts overflowing discreetly since I never wanted to be judged for having this ability. I have killed countless hollows, and their power is largely responsible for this. Before becoming a visored, you could understand my paranoia regarding this. But since I had the opportunity to play with hollow abilities for over a century upon my forced hollowfication, this power is easier than ever to manage. So allow me-"

Rose placed a hand over his face, eyes glowing brighter than ever like a flashlight was behind them.

"-To show you the strength of a hollow army as one entity."

Swiping his hand, a hollow mask formed that was completely different than what was usually seen. Instead of being a plague doctors mask, instead it was a flat skeletal one that had red rune marks racing down on the cheeks appearing as Latin symbolism. Two small horns appeared on the head corners, having black tips that were as sharp as stakes. And the soulless white eyes became pure red, representing rage that was unequal to all in the entire invasion. Rose became the avenger, the man who has taken up the sword to avenge those that have been killed by any means necessary.

The purple whip became completely black, emitting pure white reiatsu that displaced the reishi molecules around it.

It was time to kill.

Both Bazz-B and Najahkoop felt chilled to the bone, seeing something that made little sense at this stage of the game. Rose's reiatsu multiplied by many folds, becoming something that is simply mind boggling. And the very essence of it made drops of sweats to roll down their figures. Does this captain have any limits?

 _ **BLZZT!**_

Using sonido, which stunned Najahkoop since it was not shunpo, Rose literally grabbed the tip of the greatsword and pulled Najahkoop closer to him. Shocked that Rose wasn't harmed in grabbing his holy weapon, Najahkoop accepted the pull and tried to throw a kick to the captain. But Rose easily blocked it with a forearm, making a step forward before kicking the quincy dead in his gut. To Najahkoop's horror he felt the power behind it and coughed up blood, flying back from the sheer force. But to his shock his leg was caught by Rose's whip, which the captain took advantage by ruthlessly bringing his trapped prey back.

 _ **Bang!**_

 _ **Crack!**_

 _ **Pow!**_

With an ingenious use of sonido and yanking back, Rose without mercy pummeled the quincy with one blow after another. The ascended quincy could not believe it, overpowered and receiving tremendous backlash from the constant barrage. Receiving a painful kick to the jaw that had him going up, Najahkoop could not spread his wings in time to make some resistance before being pulled back down. And unable to swing his sword, Najahkoop got hit by a painful uppercut in his gut that cracked the very ground underneath Rose. Silently enjoying the pained screams that were unable to leave the quincies throat just from pure muscle failure, the demonic looking visored loved it all before spinning in place at supersonic speeds and giving a side kick to the quincy's skull. Najahkoop crashed into a building, foot now relieved from Rose's Kinshara.

The captain remained in place, using pesquisa to read the fallen angel's signature levels while lowering his offending leg.

 _ **Boom!**_

Bursting out from the rubble, Najahkoop was in lame man's terms all kinds of fucked up. He had a few broken bones and blood was seemingly to be leaking everywhere. His mind was racing, unable to form words since his fear was gripping him. He just could not believe it. Here he was, using his absolute pinnacle of power and this captain that was on the verge of dying has surpassed him like he was fodder. It was impossible, just inconceivable that this could even be happening. Based on the Daten, even Kensei and Mashiro did not have such a wicked hollowfied state during their rampage over a century ago. This was something entirely new.

Like the state special war power Kurosaki Ichigo used in Hueco Mundo against Cuatro Espada.

Unable to think any further, upon blinking Rose simply _appeared_ right before him. Screaming from absolute shock, Najakhoop attempted to use blut vene to protect himself. But before it was done, with superhuman hand movement Rose made a thousand hand motions with Kinshara that made numerous cuts over the quincies body. Stupefied while being in total agony, Najahkoop failed to block a mean neck grab before Rose raced forward, using him as some kind of living battering ram to bust through building after building they met.

After going through forty-eight buildings, Rose unceremoniously lifted the quincy up for him to gaze at. His red eyes absolutely loved Najahkoop's broken state, bathed in fresh blood as the scent of iron invigorated his killing intent. And Rose purposefully tightened his grip, making the quincy gag from the pressure.

"Now do you understand what real power is? What it means to be helpless against your better? Know that I will make you suffer for every man you killed today. Not one death shall go unpunished for-"

Rose punched Najahkoop in the gut, making a fountain of blood to exit his mouth and nose like a miniature volcano.

"-Not one."

Ruthlessly delivering ten more punches to Najahkoop's gut, Rose tossed him high into the sky. The battered quincy was immersed in fresh sunlight, only to fall back down to be caught by Rose and having his head slammed into the ground, creating an immense shockwave that wiped out anything around for a whole mile.

"Are you done yet? Want mercy? Speak and I might reconsider you damn quincy swine. Come now, BEG ME!"

Blood boiling from relentless rage as his red eyes glowed like it harbored all of Hell's wrath within them, Rose's voice went a few octaves deeper before spinning the quincy in place before releasing him into the air once more. Using sonido to deliver a flying kick into his sternum, he watched the warrior fly even faster towards the eternal horizon.

"Playtime over."

Smirking while clenching a fist, a crackling noise was heard before a red sphere started forming in the enclosed hand. The tip of Kinshara also started to form a red sphere, each one growing vastly larger as the milliseconds went by. Aiming both at the flying quincy, the visored had his eyes on the grand prize.

It was time for a life to be reaped.

"Cero Dualidad."

Firing two immense energy blasts that quickly became one, the entire immediate region was dipped in the color of blood from the sheer light of the cero. Unable to avoid it, Najahkoop damned his luck and could not believe that he was going to die at that moment. He was too weak to resist. He severely underestimated this captain and now it was time to make one last prayer. He was finished.

But to Najahkoops absolute bewilderment, a powerful concussive force hit the cero just enough to make it go off it trajectory path. The cero went into space, exploding in some uncharted area that rain down energy shards in the countryside of Soul Society.

Interested to see what stopped his attack, Rose saw someone catching Najahkoop and land several yards away. Rose furrowed his brows at the mohawk bastard.

Bazz-B, using vollständig himself to become stronger held his injured comrade before dropping him on the ruined grass. He was sweating hard, staring at the terrifying form Rose has become.

"Shit, just what the Hell are you? There no way a punk like you could become so powerful. It just not possible."

Making no response, Rose started to walk slowly towards Bazz-B. Rose began to spin Kinshara around with both of his hands, appearing like some talented circus juggler as the very friction made the whip be surrounded by fire. Bazz-B got on guard, even taking a step back. Using Burning Finger 2 in his holy form was necessary to deflect an attack of such magnitude. And it appears that Rose could easily spam such an attack if he wanted to. To stand a chance, he will need to use his _true_ holy state to tip the odds in his favor. This man has advanced hollow abilities and it was showing. He even has hierro, which was seen when he grabbed NaNa's sword. What else could he do?

Stopping suddenly, Rose slammed his whip hard on the ground besides him, creating a miniature crater from the sheer impact. His silver hair was moved by the breeze, beautiful in design which was a stark contrast to the eyes he now wielded.

The hollow mask on Rose's face made a creepy smile, revealing sinister teeth that was sharper than previously seen. A horrendous purple mist escaped from his lips. And suddenly a powerful purple storm took over the entire skies of Seireitei, crackling with immeasurable lightning that boomed with each passing second. It was the result of Driscoll Berci using the late Lieutenant Sasakibe's bankai against Captain-Commander Yamamoto. Nonetheless it painted an eerie picture on this section of the battlefield, immortalizing Rose's demonic visage to greater levels.

"Step aside. Your time of death is not just yet. Allow me to send his soul to Hell before I go after you. That will grant you a few more minutes of life before I reap you as well."

"Kiss my ass. I will never surrender."

"Then you shall suffer first."

At that statement, Najahkoop got up, surprising Bazz-B that he even could in his injured state. His ascended form was still on, and that what matters.

"Glad to see your still kicking you bastard. I went out of my way to save you. Now let end this mother-"

Before he could finish, he saw Najahkoop swinging his greatsword at him. Shocked, Bazz-B ducked but gasped when his Heiligenschein was obliterated. Seeing the halo crumbling away into pure energy glitter, instantly his entire ascended form vanished. And before he could do anything, Najahkoop brought the blade to his chin, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"You bastard. What the meaning of this?"

Najahkoop never responded, but his eyes were the same coloration as Rose's very own. This terrified Bazz-B, seeing Hell within his comrade's very own skull.

Thunder was heard overheard, allowing a flash of light to accompany the skies. And a lone step was heard on the battlefield, a sign that Rose made himself a bit closer to Bazz-B.

"He is now a puppet in my mausoleum of horrors. His will now belongs to me."

"What?"

Rose made a dark chuckle, allowing the silence from his lack of response to fill the battlefield besides the roaring thunder.

With a flick of his wrist, Kinshara appeared from the ground. But a trail was made, snaking across several yards to be at where Najahkoop was just lying at. And to Bazz-B's horror, the tip of the whip was inserted in his upper back, penetrating his spinal column.

"Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Goban: Douteki Ritsudou."

Allowing the importance of these words to settle in Bazz-B's head, Rose purposefully made Najahkoop to inch his sword closer to Bazz-B, now having the tip to touch his skin.

"This is a technique that trespasses one's privacy by making them into a marionette for my own amusement. I only use this on those that I truly hate, making them do despicable acts before ending their lives in the most shameful ways possible. This is achieved by me inserting the tip of Kinshara into the poor souls's spinal column and constantly releasing a pollen for my enjoyment. This is how it is done."

Eyes glowing brightly, Rose commanded Najahkoop to discard his sword before using his superior strength and speed to get Bazz-B in a full-nelson. Then using his wings to take flight, both were in the air where one could interpret that Bazz-B was crucified by an angel in the stormy Heavens up above.

Unable to free himself, Bazz-B saw Rose appearing several distances before him. And to his horror he saw the captain outstretching a hand towards him, index finger pointing straight ahead that was dipped in the captain's own blood. Quickly a golden yellow sphere was generated, becoming so powerful that it drew in Chojiro's bankai lightning to it, making it glow a sinister purple. Bazz-B was no fool, realizing that this has enough strength to kill him and Najahkoop two times over.

"This….this is."

"Gran Rey Cero, the pinnacle of hollow powers that was reserved for Aizen's top arrancar generals. This is my first time using this, born from instinct rather than actual practice of it. This technique will eradicate your entire soul that nothing shall remain. Oblivion awaits you. And now that I know you are gifted in using fire, the thought of burning alive in a sea of raging fury should please you, Bazz-B of the flames."

Screaming at the top of his lungs, blut arterie took hold of Bazz-B in trying to wiggle free from Najahkoop. But it was all to no avail, stuck in his seat of death. He refuses to die like this.

Close to collecting the necessary power for the grand finale, Rose could not wait to avenge all of those that were killed earlier today. Izuru Kira, Riku, and everybody else. The end was finally at hand.

"What a frightening individual you are."

Hearing a creepy voice from afar, Rose saw a lone arrow coming towards him in the shape of a thorn. Using the length of Kinshara to grab it, he looked at the newly arrived opponent in the vicinity.

"As Nodt, why are you here?" Asked Bazz-B, surprised by his sudden appearance.

The newcomer, being a quincy wearing a mask stopped when he was some distances away from his comrades. But he had his eyes focused on the visored, not foolish enough to drop his guard.

"Byakuya Kuchiki is dead. My target was murdered just as I had planned. Mask De Masculine is currently destroying more strongholds in Seireitei, so I decided to come here. And that a good thing since your both about to die."

As Nodt studied Rose from top to bottom, specifically staring at his still forming Gran Rey Cero. He then pointed a sickly finger at him.

"He who is consumed by wrath, you have cast away your fear. You will learn to regret that."

Before Rose could say anything, suddenly the thorn shot out a black substance from the tip. Managing to get on his chest and mask, Rose discarded the thorn by flicking his whip. Observing his body, he still felt normal. Was that supposed to do anything.

"Pathetic. Dead squids shoot harder on a seafood table than this weak stuff. You will-"

 _ **Bump Bump!**_

Suddenly feeling the chills as his heart rate increased, Rose suddenly felt uneasy at the strange sensations he was suffering from. And to his bewilderment he did not like how As Nodt was leaning to his side, hair dangling down like a woman who was just hanged.

"Yes, I can feel it now. Your heart just skipped several beats, correct?"

Eyes widening, Rose was stupefied that As Nodt knew about that. Was it the black ink that got all over him? It must be.

"This is the end of the road for you. The bugs from the underworld shall consume your flesh, captain of the third division.

Not liking how nearby lightning illuminated As Nodt as an eerie ray of sunlight passed through Chojiro's bankai to make him appear like an angel of death, Rose grinded his mask's teeth and pointed his cero at him. He will kill him first before taking out the other two.

"We will see about that. Now DIE!"

 _ **Snap!**_

To Rose's utter shock, a crack was heard on his mask. Then the next second the entire thing crumbled away, instantly returning his eyes back to normal as the entire effects of Jikyoku Shoushi vanished. The Gran Rey Cero disappeared like it never existed to begin with.

His time limit was reached, allowing supreme fatigue to grip his spirits. How could he have miscalculated so much? He should have time, right? As Nodt chuckled, loving what was happening before him. He straightened his back before spreading his arms to the side like some forsaken pastor in Hell.

"Fear is every creature's greatest weakness. Nobody can defeat it everlasting effects. The Daten suggested that fear may be used to help cripple you mask wearing shinigami, and it appears such a theory is true after all. You lost."

"No." Whispered Rose, grabbing his chest as he began to hyperventilate. The entire world before him was starting to dim and spin around.

Casually walking behind Najahkoop, As Nodt realized the issue and immediately plucked out the now golden whip out of the dark skin quincy. Instantly Najahkoop regained his wits. As Nodt then let go of the shikai, watching it instinctively retract back to a smaller size. Rose wished he could use a Izayoi Bara to blow up Najahkoop from the inside-out while he still had the chance, but his newfound powerless made that desire null.

Barely able to keep his position in the air, Rose was now fully back to base form and had huge bags underneath his eyes. His body was shaking, bones so stressed out that tears were occurring. Fear that he was going to fail and die on this battlefield had him on edge, struggling to not fold.

Letting go of Bazz-B, Najahkoop immediately used ransotengai to keep himself afloat. He suffered so much damage that this was the only way to keep on going. He was grateful for these two, or he might have died in this battle. And the power of Visiel was still on. It was time to show this captain true Hell.

Limping before his two comrades, Najahkoop raised a single hand at the captain, prepared to give him the finishing blow by collecting energy around the focal point.

"You have overstayed your welcome, Rose. I will personally kill you to truly end this. At the very least I shall never forget you. You will live on in my memories. Farewell."

And at that instant the entire lightning storm vanished, allowing the sun to reign once again. And moments later a powerful reiatsu could be felt, having no doubts who it could be.

"This power? It the Captain-Commander." Said As Nodt, feeling chilled to the bones at such might.

Rose became stunned at the massive reiatsu Yamamoto was releasing, feeling like a massive fiery comet in the deep horizon of this world. It was literally a ray of hope that has finally appeared to deliver miracles. This alone helped him slightly resist the fear he was suffering from, making As Nodt squint since he could feel it. This man was persistent if not anything else.

Najahkoop was perplexed by it all, being in great disbelief that Driscoll Berci died so easily in combat. He had one of the best potentials among the sternritter, not including the fact he had Sasakibe's bankai. Did he seriously underestimate Yamamoto's strength that much? At least five of them has perished, maybe even more. It could not go on like this any longer. Especially since Yamamoto was heading straight for the All-Father.

Clenching a fist, Najahkoop wanted to growl at the infuriating captain-commander for this turn of events. This fight must end. So he refocused his attention back on Rose, having ill intentions in mind.

"Suffer."

Firing a U shaped blast at Rose, the captain was too weak to resist and was instantly struct. A pattern appeared all over his body, having little nodes over many sections of his being. Najahkoop didn't even smirk, having long ago abandoned his fighting passion during this fight. He then pointed a finger at the captain, whom was perplexed by his current predicament to even speak.

"You asked me sometime ago what the 'U' in my title meant. I shall indulge you. You see, it means the **Underbelly**. After I am done analyzing the reiatsu of a certain person overtime, I can determine how your spiritual power is distributed across your entire makeup. I then imprint my epithet's letter on my target that takes on a grid pattern, dubbed the 'morphine pattern'. With this I can pinpoint the holes in your spiritual pattern and attack them accordingly, which will deplete your entire reiatsu until you fall unconscious, paralyzed until further notice. I had ample time to study your unique visored energy, so you will be finished after this. Rest in pieces."

Staring at Rose dead in the eyes, heated anger ran down the quincy's spine upon seeing the bastard captain _smiling_ at him. Like he was still better than him. He hated that look so much that his mind almost snapped.

"DIE!"

Making the mental command, Rose was hit by the implosive properties of the Underbelly and instantly hacked up blood. Feeling himself falling, Rose saw the three quincies staring him down before his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Even his consciousness was disappearing faster than what he could even imagine. It was all too much for him after all.

He lost.

Sword going back into its sealed state, Rose hit the ground that created a mighty geyser. Partially covered in dirt and debris, the captain of the third division was out of commission.

The end of the Third Division was at hand.

* * *

Pleased to see the captain fall like the trash he was, Bazz-B folded his arms. It was a job well done. He would never admit it outloud, but he was grateful for As Nodt intervening like that. Otherwise he might had just died, which makes him uncomfortable at the realization of it all. The weakest captain among the Gotei 13 was one of the most dangerous in the end. A scary thought if one thinks about it for too long.

"Who gonna finish him off?"

Silence was all he received, making Bazz-B get agitated until somebody spoke.

"I will, but I have to get to the All-Father first. He will be destroyed by my leisure when I come back."

Bazz-B started at Najahkoop's back like he was a madman about to do something suicidal.

"Tch, in your condition NaNa? Your barely able to walk. You will be no help for his majesty."

As Nodt remained quiet, too busy sensing the vast powers Yamamoto was emitting. The captain-commanders levels were simply insane.

"Not entirely true."

Saying those words, Najahkoop spread out his wings. He looked at the sun itself like it was his world all along. This caught the attention of As Nodt along with a deeper intrigue from Bazz-B.

"My Underbelly can do much more than what was seen, especially while Visiel is activated. Observe."

Activating a morphine pattern over his own body, numerous streams of reishi particles began to go inside the pattern holes at an alarming rate. Quickly his injuries were healing, restoring even his ruined clothing and dried up blood like he was never harmed to begin with. Feeling his reiatsu levels going back to normal before even fighting Rose, Najahkoop was completely restored without any imperfections. His holy form deactivated, but the sanrei glove seal appeared on his ear like an earring as his iconic orange mask covered his face. His overall powers were inhibited, but whole once more.

Disabling ransotengai since he had to need for it, Najahkoop laughed wholeheartedly like a psychopathic lunatic. For just once, the Underbelly can completely rejuvenate his reiatsu levels and restore his body to any state he wishes long he remains alive. It was his ultimate trump card, guaranteeing he always outlasts his opponent no matter what. He was now perfectly healthy as Rose remained defeated in a ditch.

As Nodt remained indifferent to the laughing as Bazz-B rolled his eyes at the silliness of it all.

"This is the power his majesty has blessed me. YES! I can always find anybody's weak spots while I can be revived when given the chance. The only other power that can even compare to this is Quilge Opei's Sklaverei, but now he is too dead. I have no equals."

Feeling high off life, Najahkoop looked at the grave of Rose. He was like a flower that once stood proudly against all odds but was now covered in fresh pavement that shall doom him. Perhaps the captain' notions to art may have rubbed off him a little bit. It was quite strange, but accepted it nonetheless.

Using one hand Najahkoop created a shadow portal before him, making sure the end will be above the area the All-Father himself was in.

"Don't die on me Rose. Your life belongs to me and me alone. I shall see you soon. Bazz-B and As Nodt, follow me."

Jumping in with intentions to protect his master, both Bazz-B and As Nodt followed him. Rose was finished, and the All-Father comes first no matter what. That is simply the way of the quincy.

And like that the shadow portal closed, leaving a desolate world that had no life in it. The graveyard of a powerful division that no longer in operations.

* * *

 **Author Notes:** Even though the major battle is over, believe me we still got some ways before this series can truly conclude. I cannot say how many chapters, but I promise you that it will be a satisfying conclusion to this mini-series. Stay tuned for future updates in the future.

As for the advanced self healing the Underbelly did when vollstandig was activated, think of how the Bounts healed themselves when in Soul Society. It similar in terms of anesthetics, though the mechanics are different.

Here some of the Latin translation I used. 'Diabolus in Musica' means "Satan in Music". 'Inferno' means "Hell". 'Memento Mori' means "Remember that you must Die". 'Sanctus' means "Saint". 'Sanguis' means "Blood".

'Cero Daualidad' means "Zero Duality" in Spanish.

Once again I thank **LuxNoctis88** for the hard Japanese translations. He helped with **Kinshara Soukyoku Dai Goban: Douteki Ritsudou** (金沙羅奏曲第五番: 動的律動, Kinshara Sonata Number Five: The Ever-Moving Rhythm).

As always stay safe and I shall see you in the next installment.


	7. Requiem for a Dream

**Chapter 7: Requiem for a Dream**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its relating material. All rights go to Tite Kubo and other official holders.

* * *

 _Just two steps from Hell_

 _Looking down at the wormhole_

 _Spilling out demons_

* * *

The entire field was completely different from what it was a few hours ago. Before it was a serene environment where paved roads, stylized architecture, and orderly citizens dominated this land with little to no issues. It was paradise, knowing that lives were abundant and the economy had nothing to worry about. It was literally the closest thing to the realization of Heaven itself.

But it all gone now.

All the pavements and dirt underneath were now covered in fire and spilled blood, staining the entire area reddish-brown from the sheer chaos of it all. Nearly all buildings were either blown down or completely riddled with holes made from explosions. The area was eerily quiet, only disturbed from the constant crackling of fire and a building collapsing from it own weight. There was no wind, making the entire area look like a still frame from a painting that seemed to never steer away from this level of desolation. It was the epitome of madness, loss, and hopelessness in a world that now the furthest thing from Heaven.

It was now Hell.

In a crater that was deeper than all the others, two perfectly white spheres that had red cracks within them slowly leaked out blood. Streaming down a face, over time they made a small pool of blood that could be seen as the representation of defeat to the warriors killed today.

 **Boom!**

A mighty explosion occurred in the distance, manifesting in the form of a pillar of fire that burned with the strength of ten billion suns. The power was so unreal that a mighty gust wind raced across all throughout Seireitei, blowing down weak structures as everyone felt this power with either a sense of fear or reverence. And when said wind raced over the crater that was deeper than any hole, those same two white spheres shook from the sheer sensations. Instinct then kicked in, allowing the reflexes to make those spheres roll back to reveal two pupils that were the color of purple. Blinking, the spilled blood dripping from said eyes got on the eyebrows that quickly hardened like it was face paint.

Nothing responded no matter how hard the will to move the body was. But the power washing over him reminded him that he was still _alive_ , and that alone stirred his consciousness back into the forefront.

He was Rojuro Otoribashi, the captain of the third division.

Blessed to at least be disabled on his back than on his stomach, Rose stared at the blue sky above as a tint of red colored it from the direction of the explosion. Even in his unconscious state, three great powers were snuffed out of existence against the might of Yamamoto. Despite his cracked and fragmented mindset that was riddled with headaches, it was obvious it was the three quincies that had left him for dead.

For all intents and purposes, they seemed to have died themselves.

Rose felt both happy and shameful at their quick deaths. Happy that his entire division was avenged, but shameful that he could not do it himself and needed the captain-commander to pick up his slack. He truly was a pathetic captain. He fought with everything he had, even using techniques that were forbidden to try to gain a decisive edge in the match.

But it just was not enough.

It true after all. No matter how much he does, he loses every single battle when it most crucial. This was the epitome of all his losses, culminating into the pitiful state he is currently in. He could barely feel anything, every breath he took hurt since he was just absorbing smoke from this burning environment. His heart was pounding, daring to bust out of his chest just from sheer exhilaration and how intense it was working to keep Rose alive.

Eyes suddenly widening, Rose hacked up blood that made his eyes appear more grayish than purple. Trying to regain his wits, Rose could feel the captain-commander's power skyrocketing as a new intense battle took place. It was mind-boggling for Rose to believe that someone could be so strong, but was grateful that a force of nature that was Yamamoto was on their side. Even macho and powerful comrades such as Kensei Muguruma and Kenpachi Zaraki paled in comparison to the captain-commander. He was on an entirely different level that transcends reason. There a reason he led the Gotei 13 since its foundation.

Why couldn't he be the same?

Rose just like many others started out in the same academy that Yamamoto himself founded. Rose was blessed to come from a lower income aristocrat family that had some power in the judiciary side of the government. His grandfather is a retired Central 46 judge, serving for most of his life to sentence criminals to the worst of prisons for the atrocities they have committed. Rose liked the luxuries that he was afforded, but was always denied to seek a path for himself to maintain the families face in front of the public. Rose, from the bottom of his heart wished he could have been a musician. That was always his passion and wanted to emulate the greats he loved to hear such as Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johannas Brahms. The styles of classical symphonies, rock 'n' roll, punk rock, and even emocore has always fascinated and grabbed his attention. But he was denied to pursue this passion and was pushed to become a judge just like all the men in his family.

He refused.

Rose did the unthinkable and instead joined Yamamoto's academy so that he could become strong enough to one day leave the future chosen for him and become a great musician down the road. Maybe even become a famous portrait artist or book author as side hobbies. Anything that can express his creativity in one outlet or the next.

Rose busted his ass day in and out in the militarized school for six years. His intellect and usage of kido was above average but was average in everything else. Some tested his spirits since he came from nobility, but his ambition to succeed and minor popularity, largely for being cute by girls helped him to get through that rough environment.

And unlike most shinigami who jump from division to division, Rose always been part of the third division since his acceptance to the Gotei 13. And Rose wanted to prove himself, climbing through the ranks from 20th seat all the way to lieutenant. And when the day came when he achieved bankai and his captain he always served since he was a grunt wanted to retire, he was selected to be the next captain. He was the first in his family to achieve this rare honor and made the Otoribashi household reach new heights. Rose was one of the strongest shinigami in existence and had men who were willing to die for his sake. That was the happiest point in his life and was closer than ever to achieving his long held passion of becoming a musician when the time was ripe.

But in just one night, all his hard work and ambitions came crashing down thanks to Aizen's sickening Hogyoku research. His reputation was ruined by being known as an criminal who sought hollow powers for ill gains. He was banished or would have been executed if it were not for Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai saving him and the others. He thanks the stars to this day for their intervention or dreads the thought he would have undergone Soul Suicide and no longer exist at any capacity. Not even the cycle of transmigration would have been offered to him during such a horrific death. A tragic and cruel end that he could have never prepared for.

And how does he repay Urahara for saving his life? By losing in all of his subsequent battles. When fighting against Coyote Starrk, his overall performance to this day is shameful. He allowed his best friend and partner, Love Aikawa to fight against the Primera Espada by himself for the vast majority of the match. It was obvious that arrancar was a former Vasto Lorde who held so much power than when in his released form managed to defeat Shunsui Kyoraku in mortal combat. But instead of taking the fight seriously initially, he allowed rubble from Soifon's battle against the Segunda Espada to cover him up as like it all was a joke or an artful thing to do. He was foolish. Both Love and Kyoraku could dodge Starrk's Cero Metralleta with ease, yet he got shot down at the first opportunity. And not once had he ever managed to hit the arrancar, only attacking his wolves where his highest level sonata failed to do anything significant. And before he knew it, took a powerful explosion that brought him to his knees despite using both hollow mask and shikai. It was humiliating.

So why didn't he used bankai?

Rose questions this all the time, but he knows the answer deep within his heart though he would never admit it. His bankai is very special and has a few drawbacks when in use. One of them being that since it affects sound, even allies can be affected if within hearing range and conscious enough to interpret the sounds within their brains. This was a big issue when he was first using his then-achieved bankai, but no longer a problem after mastering it. But still, if he ever loses control of his Dancers of Death, they could always attack his comrades. Something he could never forgive himself if it ever happened. And Love Aikawa would have been endangered if he used his bankai, so that why he opt out. And the same reasoning was used against Aizen. It just was not worth it.

But here he had no friendly restrictions against those three, but the fact they could steal the ultimate form of Kinshara while in bankai state forced him to not use it. Rose knew from the bottom of his heart that if he could have unleashed **Kinshara Butōdan** at any point in that match, all three of those quincies would have surely perished. His shikai state alone knows eleven techniques, but the number for his bankai was far greater. He has sixteen standard moves in that form, including forbidden techniques that he never used at any capacity.

Rose clenched dirt within his palms that this match could have been vastly different if he could have used it.

Rose should be grateful he even got this far at all. His mind, body, and spirit were strong enough to achieve captain-class standard and was given a second chance at life thanks to Urahara's efforts. And in actuality he has won some fights here and there, though often overlooked. He managed to defeat his inner hollow, prevent Ichigo Kurosaki from killing Hiyori during their exhibition match, fight against Ichigo Kurosaki for ten minutes while severely hollowfied, and kill several Menos Grande during the Winter War. Small achievements he should be proud of, though they are just that, small.

And after that thought, suddenly the air became very stiff as sweat started to pour out from Rose. His broken flesh cracked even more, losing moisture as his throat became dry. The impression of a shimmering heatwave danced at the top of the crater, making Rose uncomfortable as a supreme thirst came over him. Swallowing the spilled blood hanging in his mouth only to spit it out from how disgusting the iron was, Rose decided that it was time to make his move. Using every fiber of energy in his body, Rose forced himself to rollover on his stomach. Panting, Rose forced himself to his elbows and knees, leaking blood like he was an open faucet turned on full volume. Feeling his bones shake from the sheer strain, Rose lost his position after attempting to stand up. He fell right on his back, nearly blacking out from it.

Greedily soaking in any oxygen that he could, Rose felt more worthless than he ever has in his entire life. He truly was finished, not even able to stand up anymore. But upon seeing something from the corner of his eye, Rose slowly looked until he realized that it was his very own zanpakuto several feet away from him. He could not feel Kinshara in his inner world and lacked the strength to go inside. Was he okay? Futilely reaching for his blade, knowing he could not grab it, Rose lowered his hand into the ground in defeat. His life partner likely needed him but was too pathetic to even grab his own sword. Freaking pitiful.

Fresh tears not dyed in blood came out from Rose's eyes, quickly evaporating from the supreme heat made by Yamamoto's bankai. Kinshara made Rose promise to never degrade his own self-worth, but the emotions of defeat ran too strong within him. Goddamn was he weak.

Allowing his pains to run their course throughout his body, suddenly the immense heat disappeared before a powerful rainstorm quickly manifested practically instantaneously. Allowing his body to be drenched in the downpour, Rose did not even bother to close his eyes even when raindrops hit them.

Reaching new lows in this coffin he was resting in, Rose could hear the distant thunder dancing in the skies as holy flashes appeared in the skies. Rose felt numb to it all, not even caring if he drowned if he was being perfectly honest with himself. His lieutenant and all seated warriors in his division are dead, heck probably most of his unseated ones too at this point. He has nothing to return to and could tell even in his poor state that most of the other captains are struggling to remain alive. Byakuya Kuchiki was killed, and the likes of Kenpachi Zaraki could no longer be sensed. Plus the others such as Shunsui Kyoraku, Jushiro Ukitake, Kensei Muguruma, Shinji Hirako, Sajin Komamura, and the other captains were in difficult battles based on their slowly depleting reiatsu levels.

They were doomed.

Doing his best to find any hope in this deplorable situation, Rose focused on Yamamoto's power before sensing an unholy level of strength equivalent to the captain-commander himself. It was a beacon of despair that the Devil was just getting started.

It started to rain harder.

Focusing on the battle with all his remaining strength, a mighty bang was heard like something heavy fell to the Earth. And upon hearing the worst noise in all of history, Rose's heart sank as he felt a dip that should have never occurred.

The captain-commander was slain.

Feeling his vast life force practically going to zero, Rose felt frozen in place as the will of fire that kept him going was about to be snuffed out. And after several agonizing minutes passed by, Rose felt like he died himself when he _felt_ it.

The Devil killed the captain-commander, allowing even the explosion's echos to race across all of Seireitei.

Believing he was hearing trumpets as angels cried in Latin while demons laughed, all color drained from the world as Rose's eyes became true gray orbs of despair. They were officially powerless to stop the enemy now.

Feeling like he was lesser than an ant, Rose believed his heart was beating less when he heard a new mighty roar. Upon when Shunsui Kyoraku's energy levels also seemingly vanished, many vile powers ranking in the thousands could be sensed, razing down everything before them. Shinigami and civilians alike were being killed in droves, having no chance against the quincy dynasty that wanted them to be extinct. It felt like that all of Rose's depression suddenly became animated, poisoning the world even further until it fell into true peaks of desolation. The whole world was burning, coloring the sky black as screams from all walks perished one after the another. It was disheartening to the captain where not even his inner hollow would appreciate such depravity.

Their end was at hand. They lost. And they won. It was pointless to resist any further.

About to close his eyes and accept his ultimate fate of death, from the sky a lone flower flew in the wind before slowly flying down in the crater he was in.

It was an orange marigold flower, fully mature that softly landed on his chest.

Limply looking at it as his eyes begged to close for good, mixed emotions came across Rose at the coincidence of it all. The marigold represents despair in his division, a philosophy both he and Izuru Kira deeply share. It was the end of things regardless of positions and something that nobody could avoid. Rose usually saw this as a good thing since not even the worst of times could go on forever. But it also means that the good cannot last either. It was a hard pill to swallow, but the truth nonetheless. And now during his final moments of life, the marigold has sought him out to give him notice that his time was up.

Accepting it as the impression of a skeletal Grim Reaper appeared in his peripheral vision to reap his own life, a new explosion took place in the Heavens that grabbed Rose's attention.

It was without a doubt the power of a visored that has ascended above all obstacles; Ichigo Kurosaki. His power was unreal, stronger than ever as it demanded all to look at his direction. He was the Angel that came into Hell to defeat the Devil at his own game. The last true hope of salvation.

And when Kurosaki appeared, a sinister power comparable to the other three sternritter he faced was instantly eradicated. Killed before he could do anything against the Hero of Karakura. And watching the hero leave to likely face the Devil whom killed the captain-commander, a small smile formed on Rose before closing his eyes.

He could now die in peace, leaving all of his hopes on Ichigo Kurosaki to save the day. And with that, a lone hair bang graced his face as the blade of Kinshara suddenly had a crack running through it. And the marigold on Rose's chest shed a single petal, getting captured by the wind and flying into the great heavens to deliver Rose's very last wish.

* * *

It was both humiliating and incomprehensible on how he got into this state so easily. Both his mind and body were oozing with supreme might, feeling unstoppable upon any threat he faces. But in just one attack from the captain-commander he fell like a burnt comet that had no more fuel left. He did not even do anything, just get hit by flames and land in some crater. Was Yamamoto seriously that broken in power?

Slowly crawling out from his hole, Najahkoop kicked a boulder off from him before managing to step on his two feet. He was fucked up more than he could ever imagine. He was completely shirtless, dreads about to fall off from their roots, possess numerous holes on his pants, and countless cracks snaked across his mask that even a piece fell off that shielded his left eye. And the fact he had third degree burns and bleeding profusely did not help in the looks department.

It was heavily raining, causing his wounds to sting.

Clenching his teeth, Najahkoop knew he barely possessed any strength left to do anymore fighting. If he had to battle somebody else, death would be guaranteed for him. It was a shitty realization to swallow, but the truth nonetheless.

But despite all of that, Najahkoop made a large grin. His majesty came out on top, managing to kill Yamamoto with a strategy likely nobody but Sternritter Grandmaster Haschwalth was aware of. It appears that Sternritter Y, Royd Lloyd, used his 'Yourself' powers to mimic Lord Yhwach in an attempt to waste Yamamoto's capabilities. And it worked. Now their greatest obstacle is now gone and could feel it within his blood that it was time to truly raze this motherfucker to the ground.

With that thought Najahkoop placed a hand to the ground and swiped, creating a large shadow portal that twinkled. Immediately dozens of soldat warriors flew out, marching forward to destroy any infrastructure or shinigami they find. It was a beautiful sight, seeing the level of destruction as rain and lightning danced in the Heavens to create the perfect backdrop for such carnage.

"Ahhhh."

"The Hell?"

Hearing the moaning, Najahkoop walked to an area covered in small rocks and pulled them back. To his surprise he found no other than As Nodt, being in worse condition than he was in. Even his entire face mask was destroyed, revealing his exposed gums and teeth since he has no lips. And both eyes were completely rolled back, even appearing that steam was emitting from them. It was a sight to behold.

Knowing his comrade was incapable of speaking, Najahkoop wordlessly picked him up and swung him over his shoulder. Glad he was still breathing, Najahkoop heard a mighty explosion in the distance. Looking at the general location, a powerful reiatsu was sensed before snuffing out Shaz Domino in one attack. This instantly made Najahkoop gasp, surprised that a sternritter could be bested so easily like he was fodder.

Then it _hit_ him.

"This is….Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Yeah. Who else could it be?"

Turning his head back, Najahkoop saw Bazz-B approaching him, just in much bad shape as he was. Yamamoto truly did defeat them with that one blow.

"Glad to see you're still alive."

When Bazz-B finally stood next to Najahkoop, he blinked his tired green eyes while still facing the direction where the Emperor stood at. It was obvious that Kurosaki was coming to him.

"Tch, we failed. We were no match for that old fart and couldn't do a damn thing to change the outcome."

"Yeah. I hate to admit it. How we even survived is a miracle."

"I used the 'Heat' to circumvent the lethal edge from murdering us."

Najahkoop looked at Bazz-B briefly before looking back at the great distance where the Emperor was at.

"I see. Your powers at flame manipulation saved us."

"It was all I could do in that short time span. That bastard, we were no match."

"Hmm."

Najahkoop slightly lowered his head, displeased with the current events. Coming here was a major mistake and they achieved nothing from their plight. And Najahkoop grimly realized that he does not even have the strength to go back and kill Rose. He should have killed him when he had the chance.

Now it was impossible to do.

 **Boom!**

Hearing the explosion many miles away, it was the power of Ichigo's infamous Getsuga Tensho impacting against Yhwach in their grand duel, even evaporating some of the rain clouds produced from Yamamoto's bankai effect. The power that was sensed was unreal, eclipsing each sternritter that was viewing it from afar. Najahkoop even clenched a fist, now understanding how Quilge Opie and Shaz Domino could have lost so easily.

And after several minutes passed, a strange sensation surrounded the Emperor like his power was being pulled away. And after some thought, Najahkoop figured it out.

"His majesty time out from the Schatten Bereich has expired. The invasion has come to an end."

Bazz-B spat to his side, knowing that this could hardly be considered a victory since they failed to defeat the shinigami. In the end they suffered multiple casualties and forced to retreat. It was humiliating, especially how he himself failed to do much.

"It's time."

Saying it grimly, Najahkoop created a shadow portal that will allow them to go back home. Without even waiting Bazz-B stepped in, prepared to face his destiny on the other side beyond the blackness. And Najahkoop stared at it for many great seconds before too stepping in with As Nodt still being over his shoulder. Their part has at last came to an end.

"Enjoy your reprieve of holy eradication, shinigami. We will come back to end you all, especially you Rojuro Otoribashi. Next time I shall kill you."

Upon entering the portal, it finally closed, ending the blitzkrieg in favor of another bloody invasion in due time. And that time will be soon, a period that will mark quincy ascension and shinigami extinction.

* * *

 _Many Hours Later_

The sun finally revealed itself, showering a world in light where for so long was drenched in storms and darkness. But even still it was dark, allowing rain to continue falling that seemed it never wanted to end. It was chaos, showing a ruined world that had nothing left to offer. Thousands, if not millions were killed, accompanied by destroyed architect that will take years to rebuild. It was a living graveyard that will stain the history of Seireitei forevermore.

And in one distinctive crater out of the hundreds darting across Seireitei, it housed the body of shinigami captain barely clinging to life. His life force and internal energy was barely operational, worsened over time after falling into a small coma. But as luck will have it, destiny has other plans for him.

"Captain Otoribashi, can you hear me?"

Not getting a response, five members of the Fourth Division's second relief team immediately started to perform kaido on the captain. This was achieved by trying to restore his reiryoku levels before using that very energy to heal all his wounds. And after doing this for over thirty minutes, each one got happy when they saw the captain cough as his breathing increased. One of the members then used kido to help restore his clothing by collecting reishi to fix the holes around it. Eventually most of the clothing, including the shirts and haori was restored, though it would mean nothing if the captain does not wake up and take command over his responsibilities.

A index finger from the captain then twitched, bringing hope to the medics as they redoubled their efforts to keep him alive.

"We are here for you captain. Please come back to us."

Hearing the voice deep within the blackness that encompassed his vision, he slowly opened his eyes, making each soldier gasp from the sheer joy of such a small action. Feeling his body little by little, Rose instinctively knew that his power was returning to him. He was alive, somehow managing to survive the war and maintained his wits upon reawakening. It was a miracle, believing that he would die and go to the next dimension.

Standing above him were five fourth division soldiers, desperately trying to heal him back up. His reiatsu levels were still scrambled, but at least he could do the most basic of basics. He had to stand.

"Help me up."

Not one to say no to a captain, three of the soldiers lifted Rose up. Using their shoulders for support, Rose had his sights on a certain object in the distance.

"Please, hand me my zanpakuto over there."

"Yes sir."

Seeing one of the men retrieving his sealed zanpakuto and handing it to him, Rose inspected Kinshara and frowned at the poor state of his partner. So many cracks were inside of the blade that it appeared that it would fall off at any second. This troubled Rose, knowing he has both failed and allowed Kinshara to get this injured.

"Forgive me."

Sheathing his blade back into it holster with utmost care, Rose blinked before addressing all before him.

"Men, what the status on the battlefield?"

All soldiers in some way looked at the ground, and the ones holding Rose reflexively tightened their grip on his body as a response to the question. Rose knew from this alone that it was not good at all.

The man who picked up Kinshara decided to be the spokesperson, making sure to look at Rose dead in the face.

"Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki successfully managed to make the enemy leader retreat, forcing the whole army to withdraw. Right now, our remaining forces are collecting the injured and deceased, tallying up the numbers as we go on. And sadly-"

The soldier clenched his fists before looking at Rose's feet in great shame.

"-Captain-Commander Yamamoto is deceased. He died on the front lines against the enemy's faction leader."

Even though sunlight was on this area, the rain from nearby clouds began to rain harder, hitting each one of them on the shoulders.

Rose lowered his face, finally having confirmation from what he sensed. His purple eyes were shaking, in complete disbelief from the reality of it all.

"No."

Rose felt more useless than fecal matter sitting in a toilet. What did they achieve in the end? Everything has been destroyed, bringing their entire army to their knees. It was disheartening, making despair to creep in Rose's mind as all hope seemed impossible to attain.

" _Is Captain Otoribashi still there?_ "

One of the soldiers took out a transmitter blade from his pocket. Knowing who it was on the other end, he handed it to Rose. Lifting his head, the captain took it and placed it near his face. He still has work to do and doesn't have time to mourn just yet.

"I am here."

" _Thank goodness. Your reiatsu levels were so low that we suspected you might have perished. This is among the best of news to receive._ "

"I agree. Who is this that I am talking to if I may ask?"

" _My apologies. I am Yasochika Lemura, third seat of the Fourth Division and leader of the first and second relief teams._ "

"I see now. Thank you Lemura for that."

" _My pleasure."_

"So, what is all of this about?"

" _An emergency captain meeting has been announced by the remaining captains. They want you all to come to discuss the next set of proceedings. Are you well enough sir to venture over?"_

Rose nodded to the three officers to release him, now standing unaided on his own two feet. It still hurt, but it must be done.

"Yes, I can make it."

" _Wonderful. The meeting is being held at the first division headquarters. Please try to get there as soon as possible."_

"Roger that."

" _Excellent. Roger over._ "

When the transmission cut off, Rose gave the blade back to the original owner. It was time to continue his duties as a division captain. He even hardened his face, trying to look strong before the five shinigami surrounding him.

"Are you sure sir that you will be fine?"

"My body has been fixed enough to endure the journey. I thank you all for healing and bandaging me. Continue the duties Captain Unohana has assigned for you. Many others will need help only you can provide."

"Yes sir."

Turning his back to the healers, Rose briefly clenched his fists to endure the residual pain he suffering from before using shunpo to make track for his destination. It was time to regroup, think, and plan for the next set of actions to defend their home. It will not be a pleasant meeting.

Thunder was heard in the distance, which is disturbing to hear thanks to the pockets of sunlight breaking through the clouds. Rose clenched his teeth, knowing that Soul Society has been changed forever thanks to this. And all of it was not for the better.

"Rest in peace, Captain-Commander Yamamoto."

* * *

 **Author Notes:** We are getting ever closer to the true finale of this story. Stay strong my readers because much more is yet to be seen from this. I will be seeing you all soon for the next installment.


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